Transience
by Fahrenheit Sidhe
Summary: Sephiroth is back, and Vincent is the first person to run into him. Revenge and world destruction don't seem to be on the man's agenda however...   Rating may change in later chapters. I apologize for the lack of summary.  Temporarily on hold.
1. Chapter 1

_The cold is comforting… A barely audible voice whispered in the man's subconscious. It's a welcome change to the blazing agony that used to run through your veins…_

_The coffin lid snapped shut, a low laugh full of hatred echoing behind it. Crimson eyes that were barely open caught a final sight of a flash across glasses._  
><em>How did he find me…? The withering voice inquired. He wasn't supposed to find me… Did she tell him…?<em>

_Defeated, the man retired to his slumber; the demon begrudgingly allowed him. After all, Chaos could wait. He had been "patient" all this time with this Vincent Valentine creature he was now a part of. Chaos and its host sighed in unison and settled back into an uncomfortable sleep despite themselves._

* * *

><p>That had been close to fifteen years ago, and Vincent Valentine had long since left that coffin behind. His skin was still deathly pale as if he had never been out in the sun; the case was not so, however. The raven hair had grown quite extensively since his days as a Turk, and it no longer bothered him to have such long hair. In fact, he did his best to dismiss the physical characteristics of his former self while he abhorred the newer characteristics he acquired without due reason.<p>

The man had been alone for months now, and it no longer bothered him as it had before whenever he had originally sealed himself in a coffin. Certainly, there were sometimes whenever he missed Tifa's motherly attitude or Cid's foul language or even Barret's "leader" skills… He chuckled to himself; the thought was amusing. He dragged his mind from his reminiscing and let his gaze stare up at the sky.

Pure blue mingled with the whiteness of the clouds while pale beams of sunlight scattered about, casting their otherworldly glow on the Planet. It was no longer foreboding as it had once been to the ex-Turk. His eyes had readjusted to the powerful light even though it did little to warm his skin as he walked in the secluded valley. He let out a breathy sigh as he remembered the traitorous red the sky had been when the Meteor had been so near…

Vincent narrowed his gaze. Why had he thought about the Meteor? That had been a few years ago, and he had no reason to think about it now. The Meteor and its summoner weren't around anymore; he had nothing new to worry about…except for the gigas now standing in front of him.

_When did that get there?_ His brain laughed at itself. _'Suppose that's what I get for not paying attention to where I was walking…_

Vincent reached in and pulled Death Penalty from its place on his belt, flipping off the safety as he withdrew the gun. He dodged the gigas's charge with a graceful leap high into the air. He flipped once he reached a considerable height and fired the three barrels in unison as the gigas wheeled around to face him again.

The first of the three bullets skimmed the top of the beast's head. The second was a little further south and sank into the forehead of the beast; the third followed suit. The gigas slammed its hands into the ground and charged Vincent for a second time as the man landed elegantly.

Vincent rolled this time, quickly switching Death Penalty to its single fire option. He steadied his aim as the beast turned once more. Fury leaked into its features as it began its death run. A final warning cry sounded as it neared the raven-haired man.

A small, unwanted smile slithered onto Vincent's features as he pulled Death Penalty's trigger. The bullet slammed into and through the entrance the second bullet had created. He backed up just a step as the great beast stumbled and crashed into the ground. A great crater remained as the beast's inertia exerted itself on the earth before the gigas.

Vincent replaced his fired bullets, switched on the safety once more, and returned Death Penalty to his side. He sent an apologetic glance at the beast and took in his surroundings. He was alone once again and began to wonder if he had unintentionally entered the gigas's territory. He shrugged indecisively and decided that it would be best if he turned around.

A flicker of silver caught his eye. Instinctively, his eyes followed the source of the strange occurrence. A confused look slowly morphed onto his features. This was the middle of spring… Things held colour; they didn't suddenly lose it. What was going on here?

Curiosity piqued, Vincent flicked Death Penalty's safety off once more. He wasn't going to take any chances if whatever was causing that light was a foe. He approached the source cautiously with his hand hovering over Death Penalty.

The gleam of a sharp blade met Vincent's gaze the next moment. He hastily rolled into a nearby bush; the move had likely saved his life. He leapt into the above tree as the blade switched direction and slashed through the underbrush the raven-haired man had just inhabited.

Vincent's eyes widened for a split second as the sword wielder straightened up and turned to face him. A gasp caught in his throat, but he managed to suppress it. Death Penalty was in his hand at once; he would not be caught off guard this time.

Casually, the aggressor leaned against a tree across from where Vincent crouched on a branch. The man smirked mischievously at Vincent as if he were enjoying the little charade.

"It's been a while…" The voice smirked to match the look on the man's face. "Perhaps… Too long even; wouldn't you say so, Vincent?"

The sounding of a gunshot was the answer to the man's question. Vincent hadn't been expecting to hit the man so it was no surprise that a hole was burned into the tree. The man had cocked his head ever so slightly to the side as Vincent pulled the trigger.

"My, my…" The other man cooed, glancing at the wounded tree to his right. "Such feistiness…"

Flipping his silver hair back over onto his black leather back, Sephiroth smiled tauntingly up at Vincent. Masamune was nowhere to be seen, but Vincent didn't take that for granted. Sephiroth approached the ground beneath Vincent's branch; those mako-green cat eyes never left the crimson orbs that stared him down.

"Why don't you come down from there?" Sephiroth suggested coolly, his apathy returning. "It is most frustrating to talk to someone who is high above you."

Vincent scoffed at the request. "We…are not on level footing, Sephiroth," He returned with equal coldness. "I have no intention of coming down before you."

"As you wish…" Sephiroth muttered.

Masamune reappeared in his hand. A single flick of the man's wrist sent a clear, robin's-egg blue energy blade slicing into the tree. The branch fell out from underneath Vincent's feet as the man retreated into another tree and returned the aggressive behaviour with a bullet of his own.

Masamune sliced the bullet in two as Sephiroth continued his advance. He seemed as if this were boring, utterly mundane, compared to what he felt he thought he should be doing. He made no attempt to hide his disappointment.

"I'm disappointed, Vincent," Sephiroth sighed as he gracefully slid out of the path of yet another bullet. "Very disappointed in fact… I expected more from someone with skill such as yours."

The same blue streak Sephiroth had used to cut down the branch sped swiftly towards where Vincent had taken to hiding. The latter man cast barrier, and the magic dissipated as it made contact with the invisible sphere surrounding Vincent.

Sephiroth clicked his tongue. "Not altogether a bad move, but not exactly the wisest either…"

The seven foot blade slashed through tree after tree until Vincent had no choice but to land on the ground. Sephiroth had backed him up to where he had fought the gigas not even five minutes prior. The silver-haired angel ceased his onslaught as he had achieved his goal.

Sephiroth tapped his darling blade gently on the toe of his black leather boot. His green predatory eyes sparkled in the sunlight as that mocking small smile resurfaced onto his face. He appeared seemingly content with what he had accomplished.

"That's better," The man openly admitted with a sigh. "I much prefer it when I can actually see you… I can promise this won't be like last time."

Vincent's eyes narrowed. _Last time? There was no last time…_ He fumed in his mind.

"There was no last time…" Vincent shot darkly. "Your mind is playing tricks on you."

"Upon the contrary, Vincent," Sephiroth chided lightly. "There was a last time; it is your mind that is playing tricks on you. Or do you prefer to fancy that you forgot, perhaps? In either fashion, I would very much like you to reconsider your words."

Vincent growled, "What are you talking about?"

Sephiroth eyed him apprehensively. Distaste lurked in the bottom of those deceitful green eyes. "So you really don't remember…" He sighed as a slender eye brow rose. "That's such a pity."

"I don't remember what?" Vincent demanded in his quiet tone. "If you keep speaking in riddles, how is anyone to remember?"

Sephiroth laughed lightly, hastily. "Now, now, no need to be so hostile," He chided again. "I haven't decided-"

"You're one to talk…" Vincent shot back, interrupting the former general.

Sephiroth's eyes lit up, but he continued as if Vincent hadn't spoken at all. "-If I want to explain it to you or not… I would be tempted to show you, but Mother…has abandoned me, so to speak. It is rather upsetting; although, I am sure you know what it's like to be abandoned by something you care very much for."

"That 'mother' of yours is nothing more than a dead creature; "she" knows no love for you or anything else. Surely even you know that by now."

"In any case," Sephiroth continued, once again ignoring Vincent (who was starting to get a little annoyed with being ignored). Sephiroth's pupil's narrowed maliciously despite his dismissal of the comment. "I shall have to tell you sooner or later, but that is not why I sought you out."

The man ran his free, gloved hand through his lengthy silver locks before he continued. He was suddenly distracted, unfocused. This sudden change in mood threw Vincent off spontaneously. Sephiroth went on, "This I will tell you if you are at all familiar with Genesis Rhapsodos."

Vincent lowered his straining arm as Sephiroth's eyes met his again. "I know very little of the man except for what was written in his very limited file."

"I note that Tseng had something to do with that…" Sephiroth heaved a great sigh. "Of little consequence," He decided. "It will have to do."

"You think that I'm going to willingly cooperate with you: the once harbinger of the world?"

Masamune was at Vincent's jugular teasingly skimming the skin. "Your cooperation will only ease your burden," Sephiroth assured him as he tickled the blade down the length of Vincent's wind pipe. "I will forcibly make you otherwise."

"You will force me to assist you? Are you not capable on your own?" Vincent sneered, knowing well that he was taking his life in his hands.

"I am capable of finding him on my own, yes; I am capable of killing him on my own as well, yes. I do not require assistance in either case; however, I do require assistance keeping Cloud's nose where it belongs while I do what I have set out to do. I would much prefer if I could accomplish my task without interference from that pesky blonde." Sephiroth applied pressure to his precious silver blade. Droplets of blood gathered at its tip where it pressed to Vincent's neck. "It's a fairly simple task, Vincent, that I am sure you are more that fully capable of seeing to completion.

I care not how you go about keeping him occupied, just as long as you manage to do it. Yes, I am aware that you would likely inform Cloud that I am back to do Mother knows what; but I trust you know what will happen if that little tiny detail slips from your tongue… And no, it will not be death; although, I am sure I can make you wish for it even though you think of yourself as too vile to die."

When Sephiroth finished, his voice was nearly a whisper. He lowered Masamune's tip from Vincent's throat and made the streamline blade disappear from sight. He locked Vincent into an unbreakable gaze.

Vincent mulled over Sephiroth's words in his mind. "And if Cloud somehow managed to figure out your return without words leaving my mouth?"

A wicked grin flickered over Sephiroth's features for a split second. "Well… You wouldn't want to find out what I would do then," He assured the other man. "Just see to it that he doesn't find out one way or the other, and I will reward you."

"I want nothing from you," Vincent snapped back. "I take that back… Your reward to me will be leaving me alone for the rest of eternity."

Sephiroth laughed a cold, hollow laugh. "You would like that, wouldn't you?" He inquired childishly as he approached the raven-haired man, who stood rooted to the spot thoroughly determined not to show the man weakness. "No, no, you will have a decent reward… One that Mother refused to give me, but one that I am willing to give you." His gloved fingers gently touched the place where Masamune had punctured Vincent's skin. "No, your reward will be better… Much, much better." He breathed in Vincent's ear as he circled predatorily around the man. "Wouldn't you like that?" He inquired in the other ear, stroking the golden gauntlet on Vincent's arm as he spoke. "We will…see each other again soon."

With that, Sephiroth was gone. Vincent wheeled around and stared up at the sky half expecting to see the man hovering above him with one filthy black angel's wing fluttering in the wind. He clenched his hands into fists and grimaced. All the while a small tinge of red had surfaced onto his cheeks. He cursed Sephiroth and made a beeline straight to where he had decided to call home.

* * *

><p>Vincent quickly disappeared into the confines of his home after unsealing the entrance. He pulled the great door back into place using the inhuman strength his body had acquired from Chaos. He slunk back into the darkness, bringing a hand to his head and heaving a great sigh as he went. Sephiroth had honestly returned, and he seemed to have business with Genesis Rhapsodos. The grimness of the situation hit Vincent like a ton of bricks.<p>

_What happens if they're actually going to be allies again?_ His brain mumbled to him as he walked the length of the entrance corridor in the direction of the living room-study. _What if Sephiroth is plotting some greater scheme and is going to use Genesis as a cover?_

_No, no_, the other side of his mind disagreed. _That's too irrational. The last report that you read on Sephiroth's interaction with Genesis stated clearly that neither one of them were on good terms with each other… After all, Genesis had pushed Sephiroth to do all that God-forsaken research on the JENOVA Project in Professor Gast's study back in Nibelheim… Why on earth would Sephiroth want his cooperation of all people?_

_You have a point_, the first voice conceded. _But nothing is adding up right now… Perhaps I should just do some back ground research before this gets well out of my control…_

Vincent entered the living room-study a few seconds after he had decided he would do some research. He had moved some of the documents from the old Shin-Ra mansion upon his decision to dwell elsewhere. He didn't feel the need that the information on the JENOVA Project and other highly sensitive cases should be kept there with no one to watch over them, but that might just be the remainder of his Turk side talking to him…

Vincent situated himself in front of the massive bookcase in the room and looked over each and every group file name in search of some older SOLDIER files. He knew that they had to be there somewhere…

An hour or more passed before Vincent finally stumbled upon what he had been looking for all along. He was immensely relieved to see that he had actually grabbed it; he really didn't feel like making a trip all the way out to Nibelheim if he could avoid it all together. He snatched it from the shelf and retired to the old desk he had wrangled up.

Vincent meticulously withdrew the older file from its protective casing. His eyes quickly scanned it. It seemed Tseng had been through this file a multitude of times whenever he had been assigned to discover what had happened to Genesis after his first disappearance.

Vincent thumbed through to the end of the file, which is where it appeared that a few pages were removed. He eyed the end of the file with great distaste. He wasn't sure who was responsible for the removal of the pages, but he was highly displeased with them. His thoughts flew back to Tseng.

Vincent had first met the man whenever he had been traveling with Cloud and his group back before the Meteor and before Tseng's unfortunate "death". Vincent recalled that Tseng had been one of Shin-Ra's most loyal workers; therefore, it didn't make sense that Tseng would remove pages from a file the man had painstakingly been trying to keep from falling into either Hojo's or Hollander's hands by the President's request.

_Hollander…_ Vincent's mind told him instantly._ That's who tore those pages out; that's who doesn't want you knowing what you need to… That's who has kept you from doing what you know you should be doing._

Vincent now glowered at the missing pages. That man certainly had a way of complicating things just the way Hojo could even though he was deceased for quite some time. Vincent slammed the file shut and retired it to its case once more.

"This is infuriating…" Vincent declared aloud in his usual tone. "First, Sephiroth, and now this… It's going to be a long night."

He rocked back in the chair and ran his hand down the spine of the file. Perhaps if he did return to Nibelheim, he would find something… And run into Sephiroth again, his mind reminded him dully.

"Vincent?" A voice called suddenly from the entrance of his home. It snapped Vincent back to reality. "Are you home?"

It was a female voice, but there was only one other person aside from Cloud that knew where Vincent was currently, and that was Tifa. The thought brought a smile to Vincent's lips; her presence would calm his mind for a little bit.

"I'm in the study, Tifa," Vincent called back to her.

The black haired woman entered the room smiling at him. "Why are you sitting in the dark?" She demanded with a low laugh. She flipped the light on before she sat down on the couch across from Vincent. "What were you looking at?" She inquired as she caught sight of the file sitting on the desk in front of Vincent.

Vincent shrugged. "It's a passing fancy," He lied. "It's a file I hadn't looked over before, and I thought it would be worthwhile."

"Looking for something to do, eh?" Tifa joked. "Well, I have something for you to do, if you're interested."

"And what would that be?"

"Could you watch Marlene and Denzel?" Tifa gazed at him quizzically. "Barret won't do it since he and Cid are doing Heaven knows what on the Highwind…"

"You and Cloud are doing something; I take it."

Tifa nodded. "I asked him if we could go spend a little bit of time up at the Gold Saucer… He finally caved since it's my birthday next week, but we'll be busy then so I'd like it if we could go tomorrow… Would you mind terribly?"

"Not at all… Do you want me to go to them or have them come here?"

"It would be best if you went to them. That way, you'll be able to keep them entertained to a degree with the things that they have… I'm fairly certain you have nothing to entertain children with around here," Tifa chuckled.

"Not a blessed thing," Vincent laughed lightly as well. "When do you want me there?"

"Would noon be stretching it?"

"Consider me present."

"Thank you so much, Vincent."

"Any time, Tifa."

The woman rose and gave Vincent a slight hug. "Thanks again, Vincent. I'll see you tomorrow before we head out… And make sure you get some rest. I'm sure those kids are going to be quite a handful."

Vincent laughed and assured her that he would as she departed.

_I suppose my little side trip will have to wait…_ He sighed as he returned the file to its proper place on the book shelf.

* * *

><p><em>AN:<em>  
><em> To clear things up, this is a little OOC in on Vincent's part in later chapters. Next, Tseng isn't really "dead," which I more or less lead the reader to believe. I'll get into that in later chapters. And I think that covers the bases... I think. ^^""" ((I also have a lot written already for this fic, but I am prone to lose interest in things I start writing if I feel like I'm wasting my time so there may be periods of time where this isn't updated. Just a warning.))<em> _Oh! And the world I present in the fic may seem a little different from the games and movie. I apologize in advance for that._


	2. Chapter 2

Vincent woke up well into the wee hours of the morning. He shifted onto his side with a grunt and stared at his phone. The screen was flashing as it always did whenever someone was calling him. Curiosity and annoyance overcame him as he hostilely reached for the blinking device and glanced at the caller id.

_An unknown number…?_ His groggy mind thought in confusion. _How is an unknown number calling me of all people?_

Against his better judgment, Vincent flipped the phone open anyway. He pressed a key and readied his voice to ask who was calling. Before he could ask, however, he was cut off by a male voice.

"Vincent…" Sephiroth's voice remarked from the other end of the line. "Don't talk; just listen for a moment."

_How did he get my number?_ Vincent's crimson eyes narrowed in the darkness as the thought crossed his fully awake mind. _There are only three people with my number…_

"Moving on to the matter at hand," Sephiroth's drawl continued. "I have intimate knowledge that you're going to 'baby-sit' tomorrow… I'm sure that indicates Cloud will not be present at the time. I want to know when you will be back at your home… If it's not too late, perhaps…we can talk, face to face. Tell me when; make haste though. I'm not sure whenever the owner of the phone will come back. I would rather like to avoid a confrontation."

"I'm not sure," Vincent answered honestly in his still awakening voice. "I won't know until I'm there."

"Hm… No wonder you were a Turk…" Sephiroth shot before the line cut out.

Vincent gripped the phone tightly and glared at the "Call Ended" screen. The corner of Vincent's lip lifted in agitation, his white, slightly pointed canine in clear view. He let out a slow breath as tension snaked across his lower back. He tossed the phone away from him and winced as a loud _thud!_ emitted from where the phone had hit the ground.

"SOLDIER didn't exactly know when they were to be done with things either," Vincent breathed in agitation to the night air.

Vincent dragged his tired body into a seated position and stared down in between his knees. His shoulders were slouched, and his black mane fell around his face in all directions. What he wouldn't give for a few moments of peace just for a little while…

He groaned and finally hoisted himself off the bed. He donned his normal attire after a quick trip to the bathroom. His gaze wandered over to his phone as he turned to leave his bedroom. The screen was once again flicker.

_Now what?_ The man demanded as he haughtily walked toward the phone and snatched it up in his clawed hand. Cloud this time… _Oh no…_

"Yes, Cloud?" Vincent asked as he flipped open his phone. The agitation was no longer present even though he had felt the need to snap. He didn't need to yell at Cloud; after all, he was already up thanks to Sephiroth.

"Did you talk to Tifa?" Cloud's voice inquired sleepily. "She said she was coming to see you."

"She stopped by earlier… Did she not make it home?"

"No…"

"Did you call her?"

"Yeah, quite a few times for that matter. She didn't answer once."

Vincent's stomach sank greatly. "Perhaps she didn't catch a ride home and had to walk?" He suggested.

"Mayb- Hang on, call on the other line. I'll be right back."

"Alright…"

Vincent sank down to the floor as Cloud clicked over to the other line. The ex-Turk ran his human hand over his face and up into his midnight hair. Stress began to ebb onto his features. The man held his breath and prayed that the person on the other end of Cloud's line was Tifa…

"Vincent?" Cloud was back on the line and sounding very much relieved.

"Was that her?"

"Yes, it's like you said. She just missed the return trip and will be here in a little while… Sorry to trouble you."

"It's alright," Vincent admitted, sounding just as relieved as Cloud. "I'll see you later today."

"Later."

Both men hung up in unison. Vincent rose from his seated position, heaved a sigh, and departed the room. He pocketed the phone as he went.

Vincent walked past the abandoned kitchen. The man had no need for food or caffeine; Hojo had seen to that. Instead, his feet carried him back before the book case in the living room-study. His eyes traced the file he had been reading earlier that day before they moved down the line.

The rest of the files were none too interesting, but there was a definite pattern among the ones that he had taken and the ones he knew that Tseng likely fingered. His gaze came to rest on a particularly worn file. The name of it had been worn off, probably from years of constant use. He snagged the file and sat down to work again.

A note was attached to the case. Vincent glanced down towards the end of the note and saw Tseng had signed and dated it.

_Curious…_ His mind declared as it read over the note._ It's like he was expecting me to find this… Well, perhaps not me, but someone…_

Vincent eased open the file and found all the information he had been looking for, including those missing pages from the prior file. He could not believe his luck.

He read greedily, absorbing every bit of information as he went. There was much he hadn't known about Genesis, Angeal, and Sephiroth. This file seemed to answer all of his questions except one: why had Sephiroth suddenly become so obsessed with Jenova? Granted, he claimed his "mother" had been named Jenova; but even that fact didn't quite add up whenever Vincent took into account Sephiroth's intellect. The ex-general rarely believed a word that came out of Hojo's mouth; why, then, would he choose to believe something like that?

Vincent's eyes fell to a picture of the three First Class members. Angeal was smiling genuinely; Genesis offered up a small, but honest smile; yet Sephiroth stood there looking as pensive as always until one looked at his eyes. They were gentle, not predatory; they didn't even have the feline appearance the man had been known to have in the past years.

It amazed Vincent that Sephiroth could even manage such a look with all the violent things the man had done or been ordered to do. Vincent's eye brows furrowed as his gaze suddenly became sympathetic. He knew some of Sephiroth's pain, but he also knew pain Sephiroth didn't.

Vincent gently closed the file and returned it to its proper place. He lingered there for a moment more before he decided that he best head out if he wanted to have some time to himself before he would start his baby-sitting mission…

With Death Penalty loyally at his side once more, he set out.

* * *

><p>The trip took Vincent less time than he had originally anticipated and was in Edge a little bit before noon. He had arrived without any hindrances along the way. At first, he was surprised that he hadn't at least run into Sephiroth-<p>

_And there's the reason why I hadn't run into any problems…_ Vincent scoffed._ Sephiroth was watching…_

A shiver rippled through Vincent before he had a chance to contain it. The very notion that the One-Winged Angel was watching over him unnerved him entirely. Vincent inhaled deeply and let it all out the next moment; he needed to be composed-not fall apart at the seams-if he was going to watch Marlene and Denzel before going home to Sephiroth…

Pulling himself back to reality, Vincent knocked sharply on the door to the home in front of him.

"Coming!" Tifa's voice answered the moment at knock from the metal claw.

The woman opened the door and greeted Vincent with a warm smile. "You're early!" She noted as she ushered him inside. "We just finished up our lunch. Would you like me to make you something? You must be hungry after that trip."

Vincent now found himself in a seat at the dining room table across from Denzel and Cloud before he had a chance to object. A sandwich materialized in a matter of moments. It was shortly followed by a glass of juice.

The man exchanged glances with the two sitting across from them. In response, they shrugged their shoulders. Vincent heaved a sigh.

"Uh… Thank you, Tifa," Vincent remarked. Uncertainty lingered in his quiet voice.

"Any time Vincent," Tifa laughed as she bustled out of the room to go get Marlene.

"You'd better eat that…" Cloud stated as soon as Tifa was out of ear shot. "You'll hear about it if you don't."

"I'm well aware…" Vincent returned as he awkwardly picked up the sandwich. He was suddenly aware that two sets of eyes were watching him intently. "Must you stare?'

Two mumbled apologies met Vincent's ears as the man quickly gnawed through the sandwich. He wasn't exactly hungry, but he was by no means going to be rude or upset Tifa. He had started in on the juice placed before him when Tifa and Marlene reappeared in the kitchen.

"Cloud, go change," Marlene ordered the man with a giggle.

The blonde sighed in reply and went to comply with the order he was given. Denzel and Marlene eyed Vincent curiously as the blonde left the room. Tifa broke the silence.

"Vincent was nice enough to watch you two so you don't get into trouble," She informed the two youngsters. "Be on your best behaviour while Cloud and I are out. I don't want to hear that you caused trouble for him…"

"We won't," Denzel assured her. "We'll be good."

"Good!" Tifa smiled and walked out into the hall as Cloud came down the stairs and stalked out of the home after her.

Vincent cast a half-hearted smile at both children. "Well… What do you two do all day?" He asked after a moment of hesitation.

* * *

><p>Vincent was exhausted by the time he managed to make it home and collapse into a steaming bath. He left his metal gauntlet rest along the edge as his head rested back against the cool ceramic. His joints began to loosen, and he realized just how tense he had been since earlier that morning. His mind suddenly froze despite the heat. He turned his head jerkily towards the door.<p>

A low chuckle greeted him. "I wondered how long it would take you to realize I was around," Sephiroth remarked darkly as his eyes opened against the darkness and gazed right into Vincent's crimson orbs. "You don't seem too surprised that I'm in here."

_Smug bastard…_ Vincent ground his teeth together as glared at the now approaching man.

"I don't get a moment of peace, do I?" Vincent snapped as his eyes narrowed at the ex-general now sitting at his immediate right. "What is it you want now?"

"I told you I was coming," Sephiroth returned curtly. "You have no business demanding peace from me; after all, I've never had the chance to experience any myself."

"I'm fairly certain I haven't invaded your privacy like this."

"It's a body, Vincent," Sephiroth's voice coolly reminded. "It's not something that you should be ashamed of…" Those green eyes glanced down the torso. "…even if it is discoloured and scarred…" A gloved hand reached out to touch one of the scars on Vincent's exposed torso.

The metal gauntlet knocked the leather hand away. "Don't touch me," Vincent warned. "Get out for a moment."

Sephiroth rolled his eyes. "I don't take orders from a lowly being…" He returned venomously. "I would watch how you address me."

Narrowed green met narrowed red as Vincent spoke again. "I don't care what you think I am. Step out for a moment, and then we'll talk. Surely that's not asking for too much."

Sephiroth scowled at the man but didn't even so much as make an attempt to rise from his seated position. The dominant left hand gently, nearly soothingly, stroked Vincent's golden appendage. The green eyes lowered to follow the path his fingers were taking. Hastily, Sephiroth retreated from the room without further prompting or objection.

Vincent stared after the man, completely taken aback by out-of-character behaviour. He seized his chance to dry himself and put clothes onto his body before seeing Sephiroth. He emerged from the room a moment later, wrapping a robe around his bare torso and black slack covered legs.

* * *

><p>"Living room," Sephiroth's voice informed the darkness as he had heard Vincent exit the room.<p>

Vincent approached the living room-study apprehensively. He knew well enough that Sephiroth was probably sitting on the opposite side of the room well out of reach. He rounded the corner and entered the room, searching for the ex-general.

The man was standing in front of Vincent's book case staring up at the contents.

"I see you established quite the collection, Valentine," Sephiroth noted coolly as if he knew Vincent was there without even so much as a sideways glance at him. "I'm amazed at what you have here… Some of these I haven't even looked through."

"Let's keep it that way," Vincent stepped between Sephiroth and the book case and knocked him away from the object harshly. "I don't want you to suddenly have a fit of insanity again."

Sephiroth leaned his head back and laughed darkly, mockingly at Vincent. "You are a fool," He returned, letting his head sink as he spoke. "Do you honestly believe that I couldn't make you move if I wanted to be privy to that information? Hah! Naïve, naïve boy… No matter, I have no desire or intimate want to read those; they are safe for the time being."

The silver-haired angel turned away from the man and stepped into the sunken area where the couch and two armchairs. He sank onto the couch and lounged himself out comfortably. He beckoned Vincent to join him.

Vincent stood rooted to the spot and glowered at the man from behind his bangs. "What is you want, anyway?" He inquired after a second of thought.

It didn't add up in his mind. Sephiroth needed his help, but he didn't appear to be making any progress with whatever he was doing; so he had sought Vincent out again. Whatever that silver-haired man was up to, it certainly wouldn't be good in the long run.

"For you to sit down," Sephiroth returned dryly. "That is the immediate desire at the moment. Now sit, or I shall make you."

Vincent obeyed still eyeing the man darkly. "Now answer the question, Sephiroth."

Sephiroth examined his nails in the darkness. "As I told you on the phone, I wanted to talk… Is that suddenly such a crime? No matter, I care not what you think. I wanted to know something of value. Do you by chance know where Tseng was buried?"

Vincent was taken aback by the question. "Why would I know where Tseng was buried? The person you want to be talking to is Rufus…"

"Hm… That's just it, Valentine; _you_ need to be talking to Rufus…"

"Why do you need to know where Tseng is buried?"

"Is that pertinent information?"

"Yes, Sephiroth, it is. I'm not going to do it for you without a legitimate reason. I made a point to avoid Rufus when he was a child, and I'm certainly going to continue that habit."

Sephiroth regarded Vincent for a moment. He crossed his legs and brought his fingertips up to his nose. He closed his eyes and leaned his head forward onto his fingers, which allowed his bangs to fall into his face.

It was a moment before Sephiroth spoke again. "Can I trust you?" He asked so softly that Vincent could barely make out the words that were being said to him.

"Did I tell Cloud that you somehow managed to obtain a living body again?" Vincent inquired gently, suddenly realizing just how important that bond was if he were to make an attempt to stop the man should the need arise. "I'm sure that would prove that you could trust me."

"That, dear Vincent, is just the tip of the iceberg," Sephiroth returned, dropping his hands from before his face and opening his eyes. "That was simply a test to see if you could do as you were told; trust is something entirely different. A commanding officer can give one of his subordinates an order; they are expected to perform the duty to the best of their ability. However, that doesn't mean that the commanding officer necessarily trusts his subordinates, especially if they are newly recruited. Therefore, they would need to earn the trust of their commanding officer or officers.  
>What, pray tell, makes you think that your scenario is any different? Certainly, you passed my test; certainly, you are skilled far beyond any new recruit. That doesn't please me enough… I want to be able to trust you and your judgment without constantly lurking behind you… It's unsettling for both of us, I assure you. I don't like it any more than you, for it means that I could potentially be caught at any time."<p>

Vincent considered Sephiroth's words for a moment or two before sighing, defeated. He ran a hand over his face and decided his words carefully. He opted to question something himself before answering Sephiroth's question.

"How did you manage to find a phone that had my number contained on it?"

Sephiroth's eye brow rose instantly. "Well… That was hardly difficult. The hard part was finding where the person was staying."

"Who was it?"

Sephiroth's eyes narrowed tauntingly. "Again, a question I will only answer if I can trust you."

"And how do I find a way to prove that you can trust me?" Vincent had spoken before he even had time to realize what he was saying. No matter; if this was how he was going to stop Sephiroth from harming anyone-including Genesis, this had to be done. He would destroy himself later.

A twisted smile flickered over Sephiroth's features, but it disappeared as quickly as it had come. He tilted his head from side to side, silvery locks moving fluidly with it. "I haven't quite decided that yet…" He admitted. "Of little consequence…" The man rose and began to pace, booted feet making not a sound on the hard wood. "I…think it would be best to challenge you. If you can trust me, then I can trust you…"

"What are you asking?" Vincent cut in.

The ex-general heaved in a sigh. "We fight…" He paused letting his words sink in. "A legitimate fight, to the death." He turned his face towards Vincent to make it clear that he was being literal. "We both have the potential to kill each other; neither one of us can exactly deny that. However, it is more than a test of one's strength in this particular case."

"Obviously… How do I know you won't stop that blade of yours?"

"The reverse also holds true," Sephiroth reminded Vincent with a dismal sigh. "That is the test."


	3. Chapter 3

The terms were agree to the night prior in Vincent's living room-study, and now the two found themselves on a remote stretch of land to avoid any interference from the outside world. The air was crisp around them, and the sky was clear without a trace of whiteness.

No words were exchanged as the first shot was fired and deflected. Sephiroth lashed out with a gorgeous streak of blue in response to the single-fire. Easily avoiding the blue by rolling aside, Vincent switched the setting on his gun and fired three shots spontaneously.

Sephiroth leapt into the air; the gap between them fled by each passing moment. Vincent quickly back flipped out of the incoming strike from Masamune. A shower of sparks declared that the next slash was countered by Death Penalty. The gun forced the blade away.

The gunman had barely a moment to respond to the sudden change in direction of the merciless blade. He jumped, throwing himself into a spiral and firing a shot towards the ex-general's head. Complying with the hasty change, Sephiroth flipped. Masamune rose in a limned arch towards the ex-Turk's neck.

The blade only skimmed the top layer of skin miraculously. Vincent had jerked back just enough to avoid decapitation. He rooted his feet, raised Death Penalty and fired. There was fire in his eyes now. Sephiroth could have easily killed him and not thought twice about it.

Masamune slashed through two of the bullets while the third barely grazed the leather. Sephiroth let a smirk weave onto his features at Vincent's newly found anger. "You thought that I wouldn't have pulled back?" He inquired as he unleashed a flurry of strikes towards the man.

Vincent was quick enough on his feet that he avoided the onslaught with moderate ease, but he didn't have a chance to set off an attack of his own. "You didn't pull back," He shot back viciously in his quiet tone. He knocked Masamune well off its course and sent his clawed gauntlet soaring towards Sephiroth's throat.

Sephiroth quick-stepped back and caught the gauntlet in a gloved hand. He gripped the cold metal and yanked Vincent towards him. His feline eyes trailed down to the man's neck. "My… I hadn't realized I even skimmed your skin…" He admitted. "It wasn't intentional."

"Wasn't intentional my ass," Vincent retorted, breaking his clawed gauntlet free and grasping Sephiroth by the chin.

Metal dug in and hit bone before Vincent tore the claw downward. Fury still raged in his eyes as they met Sephiroth's slightly shocked green eyes. The ex-general stepped back a few feet and gingerly touched his skin. His eyes never left Vincent's as if daring him to try something else after what he had just done.

"Was that necessary?" Sephiroth growled silkily. "I'm fairly certain your cut isn't nearly this deep… If it had been, I doubt very much that you would still be standing."

Death Penalty rang out again. All three bullets were met with a great blue force field that surrounded Sephiroth an instant. The force field flared outwards, tearing up the ground in its wake. Vincent very narrowly missed dodging it.

Sephiroth had advanced much further than Vincent had realized. The raven-haired man was caught by the cape and sent flying head first into the recently up turned ground. A heavy black boot settled on his chest, and the dangerously gleaming Masamune settled in next to his neck in such a place that he could clearly see its glint out of the corner of his eye.

Vincent raised Death Penalty in response and cocked the gun back to single shot. Jade met crimson; both furies attacked each other, each accusing the other of the pain. Neither moved, breathed, nor blinked for minutes.

Sephiroth was the first to break the continuum. He lifted his foot a few inches above Vincent's Chest and brought Masamune up to match it. Both foot and blade came crashing down on Vincent as gunfire went off.

The dangerous blade sank deep into the ground right by Vincent's ear. The air had been sufficiently knocked out of him from the sheer force Sephiroth had used. He inhaled heavily when he finally turned his gaze skyward towards the silvery hair that fluttered down towards him. He couldn't make out Sephiroth's face, but he could feel hot blood hitting his exposed cheek and chin.

The man standing above Vincent removed the pressure on his chest and straightened himself to full height. Masamune slipped from the earth it had embedded itself in and disappeared from sight. The man turned as he healed the deep cuts on his chin with his dominant hand.

"So you have my trust…" Sephiroth remarked darkly as he continued to tend to his wound. He hadn't bothered to stop his pace even though he could hear Vincent getting up behind him.

Vincent holstered Death Penalty. Had Sephiroth been going easy on him, or did the ex-general underestimate his opponent? Either way, Vincent had passed some sort of test. He sprinted and caught up with the other man hastily.

"Now, will you tell me why you need to know where that gravesite is?" Vincent asked cautiously, unsure if this was something to talk about in the open.

"Not here, no," Sephiroth decided as if he knew where Vincent's train of thought was. "Somewhere private, yes…"

"I understand…" Vincent remarked, nodding.

* * *

><p>In silence, the two returned to Vincent's home. Sephiroth stopped at the entrance and made no move to enter the abode. He glanced at Vincent through his hair.<p>

"I suppose I should tell you why I need to know where Tseng was buried…" The man decided in a slow tone. "He had some things taken to his grave with him, and unfortunately, some of those things I need in order to answer some questions about my past."

"Why is your past so important?" Vincent's eye brow rose suspiciously as he leaned against the door.

"I want to know why Genesis was jealous…" Sephiroth's gaze lifted to the sky. "Granted, he may have given me an answer, but whenever it came to talking about things involving our friendship he always spoke in rhymes or from Loveless." The man breathed a heavy sigh. "I have a feeling Tseng figured it out and took the knowledge with him."

"And this will help you because…?" Vincent had a feeling that there was something more than just that reason.

"It…will give me another reason to find him," Sephiroth admitted quietly. "A different purpose from my original intention."

"And that was?"

Sephiroth simply laughed hollowly and shook his head as he turned away from the other man. "That is a story for a different day… We will talk more after you find out the location of that gravesite." He flipped open a phone and pushed several keys before turning around to Vincent. "I've uploaded my number into your phone. See to it that it stays in your possession at all times. I would very much hate to be found out."

Instinctively, Vincent checked his pockets. Sure enough his phone wasn't in them. He shot Sephiroth an irritated look before reaching his hand out for the device. It met his hand as Sephiroth began his walk away from the man in silence.

"Before you go," Vincent remarked, stopping Sephiroth in his tracks, "what was that about last night?"

"I'm not entirely sure what you're talking about…" Sephiroth returned smoothly. "Alas, we will talk later. I must go before daybreak. I don't want to be caught out and about again." With that, he disappeared into the tree line.

Vincent stared after him for a moment before he too went his own way. Maybe it was best that they stayed away from each other. After all, people had a nasty habit of dropping in on Vincent uninvited…

* * *

><p><em>Long dark hallways. Cold steel tables. Dripping hot blood. Starless, moonless sky. Groaning, rusted gurneys. High-pitched, cruel laughter.<em>

_Vincent jerked away-rather, tried to jerk away. He was restrained. With what, he knew not. He couldn't see his lower body. All he could see was flashing glasses. What was happening? Why was it happening?_

_He could hear voices invading his mind. All these different voices urging him to do different things. For whatever reason, he could understand the language they were speaking even though he was quite certain that they weren't in any human language he had ever heard before._

_He screamed the blood-curdling, agonized cry that longed for death. The high-pitched, cruel laughter joined in the ruckus and carried over the scream. After both died away, the sound of a gurney was the only thing that could be heard on that abandoned night…_

* * *

><p>Vincent awoke with quite a start, sweat seeping out of every exposed inch of his body. He sat bolt upright, his breathing ragged and quick. He ran a cold, sweat-covered hand over his flushed face. He pulled himself back to reality whenever he realized there was another presence in his room. His weary crimson eyes met alert green, and his body relaxed without his mind telling it to.<p>

"You startled me…" Vincent groggily informed the other man.

Sephiroth shrugged in the darkness. "Hardly… You woke yourself up."

"Why are you here…?"

"Checking in on you," Sephiroth shrugged once more as he approached the other man.

"That's out of character. I thought you cared little for other people."

"And assuming something is out of your character," Sephiroth informed the man levelly. "I don't like that you have such preconceived notions about me. I'll have you know that I'm not like I was."

Vincent reflexively flinched back as Sephiroth reached out to brush his hair from his face. The man's eyes narrowed considerably, but not out of anger, as the leather glove smoothed the hair behind his ear. He watched those usually predatory eyes scan him up and down with moderate distaste.

"You're a mess," The other man decided after a moment. "I assume that your dream wasn't enjoyable in the least."

"Would yours have been if Hojo was the tormentor?" Vincent growled.

Sephiroth put a finger to Vincent's lips. "I wasn't trying to aggravate you," he soothed. "And I am well aware of what Hojo can do to a person. Why do you think I turned into the killing machine I am? Why do you think I went insane all those years ago? I relive it myself; don't forget that."

The hand withdrew, and Vincent reclined against his pillow still trying to pull himself together. "Why did you come?" He tried again.

"I told you the first time you asked me. Do you think the answer will change between now and then?"

"It doesn't seem logical to me."

"Logic is deceitful. You need to understand that I'm not the person you were fighting a few years ago. I've mellowed considerably since then. I can't hear the voices in my head anymore."

_Voices?_ Vincent's brain demanded. _He could hear voices too? How? He isn't like me…_

"You seem surprised, Vincent," Sephiroth was watching his reaction quietly. "It's not as farfetched as your mind is making it… Hojo wasn't kind to me. Between the mako injections and Jenova's cells present in my system, it's an honest wonder I hadn't lost my grip beforehand."

"You could hear Jenova?" Vincent demanded, sitting up right again and gaping at the other man. "No wonder…"

Sephiroth chuckled dully. "Yes, I could hear Jenova… It's a sad thing, honestly. I can't hear her anymore. I'm not really sure why I can't either, but I am counting it as a blessing, which is something I don't normally do."

"And what of Kadaj, Loz, Yazoo?"

"What of them?" Sephiroth leaned his head to the side. "I'm not sure what you want me to tell you…"

"Were they because of Jenova, or were they your doing?"

"I would say it was some of both," Sephiroth leaned back and lay with his head at the foot of the bed. "Her will obviously made them into being. I didn't have that kind of power in the state I was in. I was still trying to recuperate. You would be surprised just how long that takes."

Vincent wiped his face with his hand again. "You still hold that grudge against Cloud though, don't you?"

"Of course!" Sephiroth's tone was instantly angry. "He killed me twice! How would you feel if someone did that to you?"

"You were trying to kill everything…" Vincent remarked cautiously.

"Your point?" Sephiroth growled, glaring at Vincent from his prostrate position. "Did it have to be him that killed me the second time? Are you not a good enough shot that you couldn't have done it? And what of that other man, Barret? Couldn't he have gotten a bullet in there while I was distracted?"

Sephiroth was bolt upright the next moment and grabbed Vincent by the throat. The other was too surprised to even retaliate appropriately. Sephiroth's face was barely an inch from his. "Don't you think that one of you other useless beings could have killed me? No! You let that man do it, again. You call yourselves weak. Don't you get that you could kill me if you thought of yourselves as strong? That's what makes that blonde fool different from you. He thinks he is strong, stronger than me. You lack that. All of you lack that."

Sephiroth eased his grip and threw Vincent onto his back. Vincent groaned loudly and massaged his throat gingerly. He closed his eyes.

"You're horribly temperamental," Vincent informed Sephiroth quietly. "I'm not entirely sure why you're getting angry because we didn't kill you."

"You wouldn't understand," Sephiroth shot darkly. "The same person just beat you twice at the thing you know you are best at. The same person just crashed all the dreams you had in a single apex twice. How would you feel? Couldn't fate had been nicer and let someone else finish me the second time round? No, that bitch let me die by the same person twice."

"Bitch?" Vincent questioned. "Jenova?"

"Very good… You're learning…" Sephiroth let out an angered breath and clenched his hand into a fist. "She left me twice, abandoned me… That is why he won twice. He won't win again because I'm not listening to her lies anymore. He can't kill me now; it's impossible…"

"I'm certain that you have said that to someone before, and look how true it turned out to be."

"You misunderstand me, Vincent. He's not going to know that I'm here. How can he kill something that he doesn't know is in existence once more? Should he find out, I will be sure to drag you back into my lovely hell with me. Wouldn't you enjoy that?" Sephiroth leaned over him. "You could spend an eternity with me in hell. Is that what you would like?"

Vincent raised his hands defensively. "I wasn't implying that I was going to tell him, Sephiroth. Please calm down. My nerves are shot as it is. I would very much like it if you weren't mad at me right now." He took a deep breath before continuing. "As far as I'm concerned, Cloud will have his hands full since he lives with Tifa and two children. I'm certain that you don't have to worry about him bothering you for an extensive period of time, if at all."

"Hm… I'm sure that would be the case, but was he not living with Tifa and those two children before?" Sephiroth brushed Vincent's hair out of his face once more. "That didn't stop him from going out and confronting Kadaj…"

"Kadaj…drew his attention," Vincent defended. "The head… The Geostigma… The entire scene in the Forbidden City."

"The Geostigma was my doing… But had Rufus not fooled around with the head, the entire story might have been different. I doubt very much that those three would have been so blatantly obvious. No matter, it is in the past, and two of the three of them are where they belong."

"The third?" Vincent demanded. "Which one escaped fate?"

"The only one that needed to," Sephiroth responded coldly. "I'm not going to tell you who it was. He's safe, and that is all that really matters to me."

Vincent made move to sit up but found himself pushed back to the bed the next moment. Sephiroth's hands were adjacent to both his shoulders, and the man was staring down at him. Those green eyes glinted with a challenge.

"Going somewhere in such a hurry?" Sephiroth cooed, anger still lurking in his tone. "I think not."

"Yazoo is the one you let escape, isn't he?" Vincent seethed in his quiet tone. "That boy is your willing puppet… All too willing puppet. He is probably examining that file while you are in here."

"You got two out of three, Vincent," Sephiroth sighed. "The latter is a complete figment of your imagination. I'm alone… No, we're alone. There's no one else here, and no one else will be here."

"Why should I believe you?" Vincent growled, sitting up slowly, but taking care not to touch the ex-SOLDIER.

Sephiroth took one hand and pushed Vincent back underneath him. The hand moved in almost a catlike manner. "Aggression is frowned upon, Vincent. I suggest you watch that scarred body of yours, or you may just end up with more." A challenging glint fluttered through Sephiroth's eyes. "You should know by now who is the dominant one…"

Vincent glowered at the man above him. "In this situation, it's rather obvious; but you would choose to make that statement when I can't rightfully defend myself or prove you wrong…"

Sephiroth brought his nose centimeters from Vincent's. "Isn't that a shame?" A small snicker slithered through his closed lips. "You wouldn't be able to change that even if you weren't a miserable wreck… Even with all those monsters and Chaos trapped inside you, I could still beat you."

"You wish," Vincent's quiet voice assailed.

The gold metal claw lashed out while the bare hand slammed into Sephiroth's sternum. The ex-general landed on his back with ex-Turk on his chest and gleaming claw wrapped around the man's throat. Vincent inhaled and exhaled deeply, trying to control the anger bubbling just beneath the surface. To his surprise, Sephiroth was smiling gently up at him.

"So easy to instigate…" Sephiroth murmured gently. His leather-bound hand reached out and gently stroked the anger-flushed face above him. "Calm yourself…" He freed himself from the iron grip on his neck. "I'm not your enemy."

"Quit acting like it," Vincent shot back through gritted teeth. He got off Sephiroth and sat on the edge of his bed. "I have nightmares of Hojo, and I wake to find you here… Not my ideal notion of calm."

Sephiroth snaked up behind him and massaged his shoulder blades gently for a moment before black-coated arms slithered around the dark-haired man. A soft mass of hair and slender cheek bone pressed against Vincent's neck and shoulder respectively. "You're so tense. You honestly think I'm going to hurt you if I need your help?"

Vincent tensed even more at the odd display of affection. He glared at the man through his peripheral vision. "You are temperamental… Let go."

Sephiroth complied with the request and reclined back on the bed. "I'm allowed to be," came the reply. "I can plead insanity if I do something ludicrous again."

Vincent rolled his eyes and shook his head. "Once a maniac, always a maniac," he muttered as he stood up.

Sephiroth's laughter rang in Vincent's ears as he stood up. "You're one to talk…" Sephiroth chortled.


	4. Chapter 4

Vincent had eventually rejoined Sephiroth on his bed that night in a vain attempt to get some more shut eye. Sephiroth had fallen asleep shortly after Vincent returned. That was probably the only time Vincent had ever seen the man truly at peace, and it was indeed a strange sight for him to behold. Vincent himself wasn't used to sleeping soundly, but for whatever reason, Sephiroth managed it without much trouble.

Vincent awoke the next morning to find Sephiroth still asleep in the bed beside him. He looked at the man in moderate confusion._ I wonder why he chose to stay here instead of going elsewhere_. His mind wondered._ It's rather unlike him from what I gathered..._ He shrugged indecisively and sat up. He threw his legs off the bed and ran a hand over his face. He stifled a yawn as he heard Sephiroth stir behind him.

Green eyes looked up at him quizzically when he turned around to see if he had woken the man up. "Good morning, Angel," Vincent remarked mockingly.

"Shut your mouth," Sephiroth's awake voice growled at him. He sat up slowly and dragged his fingers through his hair. He stretched his arms above his head and grabbed his leather coat from the floor and slid the phone out from its pocket in the jacket's lining. He groaned when he noted the time. Dropping both the phone and coat to the floor, he sent a glare at Vincent. "Do you always get up this ungodly early?"

Vincent did his best to repress a grin that threatened to consume his features. "Usually..." He returned amusedly. "I see you aren't exactly a morning person..."

Sephiroth rolled his eyes and slipped out of bed. "I'll let you know when I care about your opinion of my moods..." He stretched his arms above his head once more before bending down to replace his stomach armour.

"Going out today?" Vincent inquired as he peered over at the man.

"Yes," Sephiroth returned flatly as he fastened the armour. The leather coat slid over his shoulders and toned arms easily and the shoulder pauldrons soon followed.

"Do I get the privilege of knowing where?"

"The hell you do," Sephiroth shot curtly.

The man had his back to Vincent. The latter slid across the bed and stood up behind the silver-haired man. He grasped the pauldrons and rested his chin on the leather next to one. "You really aren't happy to be up this early, are you?"

"What do you think?" Sephiroth growled, eyeing Vincent apprehensively out of the corner of one of his eyes. "And you are by far too happy in the morning."

Sephiroth broke out of Vincent's grip and slipped his hands back into their gloves. He ran his fingers through his hair one final time before disappearing from the room entirely. He left Vincent staring questioningly after him.

Vincent sighed. He needed to get some things done today so he couldn't exactly dwell on what had Sephiroth in such a foul mood. The man switched his garb hastily. He returned his holster and Death Penalty to their proper place and headed out of his home himself. The sun wasn't quite up as Vincent drifted out into the world. It was quite all around him, and that silence was somewhat reassuring. He had a specific destination in mind, and he started off. He knew exactly where Rufus and his ilk would be residing at this point. He sprinted lithely off.

* * *

><p>Vincent reached Rocket Town before the sun had gone down that day. It was a blessing that he had such inhuman strength and vitality otherwise it would've been completely impossible without the use of a motorcycle. He looked all about him. Very little had changed since he was last in the town; the old rocket was still there even. During his observation, he had noted a particular red head standing guard near one of the houses. He approached the man without another moment's thought.<p>

Reno had seen the raven haired man coming a mile away. He stood there with his hands in his pockets and nodded at Vincent to show he knew the man was there. Vincent returned the nod politely.

"I need to speak to Rufus," Vincent informed the red head once he was in earshot. "It's important."

Reno eyed the ex-Turk skeptically. "Rufus doesn't want to see anyone right now," He relayed. "I could tell him that you're here, but I'm not sure he'll want to speak to you."

"Please tell him. It's an urgent matter."

"How urgent is 'urgent'?" Reno inquired shifting his weight to his other leg and crossing his arms in front of him.

"Life-or-death urgent," Vincent replied. With the mood Sephiroth was in this morning, it certainly would be if he didn't find out what he needed to know-and soon.

Reno continued with his skeptical look, but no less withdrew his phone from his pocket and dialed Rufus to relay the message. The man appeared to be getting chewed out from the other end, but Reno no less signaled Vincent to go inside as he hung up the phone. "He's in a bad mood, yo," Reno snorted.

Vincent flashed a small smile at Reno and went inside.

Rufus was sitting in an arm chair with Rude directly to his left. The Shinra glared at Vincent as he approached. "'Life-or-death'?" He mocked. "With the way you leisurely strolled in here, I find that very, very hard to believe, Valentine."

"Think what you may," Vincent returned calmly. "It is a pressing matter to me; whether or not you think it is will be of little consequence. Moving on, I need to know where Tseng's grave is."

Rufus frowned deeply. "Why?" He asked instantly.

"That is the life-or-death matter," Vincent assured him vaguely.

"That isn't an answer."

"Of course it is," Vincent sighed. "You will have to trust me, Rufus."

"Something I'm not too keen on doing... Your lot might have saved our Planet twice, but I don't feel indebted to you."

"You don't need to. I just need to know where the grave site is. You will not see me again after you tell me."

Rufus' mouth went from frowning into a thin line. He looked genuinely upset. "I do not want his grave disturbed, Valentine..."

"I will not be disturbing it at all. I have no desire to bring any kind of ill will upon myself."

Inhaling deeply, Rufus decided, "It was on the outskirts of Wutai, in his family's plot. The Wutain people are not fond of visitors though."

"That will not be an issue. I know someone in Wutai. Thank you, Rufus." With a small bow, Vincent exited the building.

Vincent nodded his good bye to Reno who returned the nod. Vincent was already dialing Yuffie's number even though he would regret the action at a later date. Yuffie answered it on the second ring.

"VINCENT!" Her voice exclaimed, causing the ex-Turk to jerk the phone away from his ear hastily.

"Hello, Yuffie," He returned in his unenthusiastic voice. "I have a quick question for you."

"Shoot!" Yuffie laughed on the other end.

"Tseng's grave is in his family's plot right? Or was it kept elsewhere?"

"From what I was told, it's in his family's plot. I'm not entirely sure if that information is accurate or not though. You know how Shinra is..."

"Fair enough. Thanks, Yuffie."

"Anytime, Vincent!"

Vincent hung up and shook his head before pocketing his phone again. How was he going to cross the ocean to make sure the information he was going to give to Sephiroth was accurate or not? He was hesitant trusting Yuffie since this was his hide hanging on the line, not hers. He pulled his phone out of his pocket again and exited the town, completely oblivious to the bald man now tailing him.

Vincent hastily pulled up Sephiroth's number and dialed. He was partially hoping the man on the other end of the line wouldn't answer.

"Speak," Sephiroth's voice commanded him.

"I found out where it is, but there is a minour complication if you're willing to listen," Vincent quipped.

"What is the 'minour complication'?"

"A rather extensive body of water..."

"Are you telling me that it's over by his home town?"

"You would be correct in your assumption.

There was a groan on the other end. "That isn't what I wanted to hear..."

"I didn't think that it was. What do you want to do?"

"I think the answer would be rather obvious, Vincent."

The ex-Turk sighed. "Yes, of course..."

"I'm rather powerless whenever it comes to seafaring transportation, but I should be able to pull a few strings to get a craft..." Sephiroth's disheartened tone informed him. "I expect you to come with me."

"Of course," Vincent chuckled despite himself. "Do you really think I'd let you run somewhere out of my sight?"

"Humph..." Sephiroth returned. "Don't sound so smug. I'll be seeing you later. I'll let you know what I come up with."

The line cut out, and Vincent returned his phone to its pocket. He wondered how on earth Sephiroth was going to get a boat to cross the ocean if he was presumed dead, but the thought didn't stay with him long. The One-Winged Angel was full of surprises after all...

* * *

><p>Vincent returned home to find Sephiroth sitting on the couch in his living room-study with a book balanced in one hand. The man was appeared to be absorbed in his reading but acknowledged Vincent as soon as he entered the room. "I found something rather interesting," Sephiroth announced as Vincent sat down across from in one of the arm chairs. "There's a ferry that takes people to Wutai..."<p>

"That's interesting?" Vincent raised an eye brow in surprise.

"Indeed," Sephiroth nodded. He pointed to a newspaper clipping placed conveniently on the table in front of him. "Last I heard, that ferry had long since been shut down because of the war, but it appears that it is up and running once more."

Vincent picked up the ad and read it over twice. "The war has been over for quite a long period of time, but I am surprised that they brought the ferry back... It was probably to allow for better trade as well."

"That wouldn't shock me," Sephiroth admitted. "Wutai definitely lost a lot because of the war. They were extremely outnumbered and out supplied..."

"So I read..." Vincent set the ad back down on the coffee table and looked over Sephiroth's book. "What're you reading?"

Sephiroth sighed and gingerly closed the book. "It's a study on different plant life..."

Vincent's eye brow once again rose. "Enjoy science, I take it?"

Sephiroth shrugged. "It's a passing fancy, really. I read things that I can use in practically. I'm not looking for something that's a theory to be tested; I prefer to know what is safe to eat, what's poisonous, and what really isn't a plant but a monster. You would be surprised at just how many things I have picked up from reading books like that."

Vincent nodded. Comprehending your surroundings to the fullest was the best way to ensure survival; any person could tell you that. Vincent was merely focused on Sephiroth's attraction to science instead of realizing the practical value of the information.

The two sat in silence. Sephiroth stared off into space while Vincent regarded Sephiroth pensively. Sephiroth eventually returned his attention to the present moment and returned Vincent's unblinking stare.

"You're in a much better humour," Vincent noted after a moment.

"I caught a nap before you came back here..." Sephiroth responded quietly. "I wouldn't have been so miserable if you hadn't decided you needed to get out of bed at that ungodly hour this morning."

Vincent chuckled to himself. "No one invited you to sleep in the same bed as I did; you know that, don't you?"

Sephiroth scowled at the other man. "And you could at least have a little bit more regard for another person sharing your bed."

"Shouldn't you be used to it?" Vincent countered. "You were in SOLDIER, and you mean to tell me that you never had to get up that early?"

"I never said that I enjoyed getting up that early. It was just another reason people avoided talking to me before the midway through the day. Very few people chanced that fire; I preferred it that way."

"Hm..." Vincent remarked calmly before he rose. "I'm getting a shower. Mind you stay away."

"Of course, darling... I wouldn't want to interrupt you again."

Vincent glared at the smirking Sephiroth. "I will be sure to return the favour if you do barge in..."

"Don't act like you didn't enjoy it," Sephiroth countered childishly as Vincent left the room shaking his head as he went.

* * *

><p>Vincent emerged from his shower to find Sephiroth sitting on the edge of his bed regarding him quietly. "Did you need something?"<p>

Sephiroth shook his head nonchalantly. "No, but it did get a little cold in your living room... I wasn't too keen on staying in there any longer."

"Cold?" Vincent questioned, sounding somewhat confused as he did so.

A confused look morphed onto his face, and he went to investigate what Sephiroth had just mentioned. The silver-haired man followed closely behind him. Both entered the living. Sure enough, the room was considerably colder than when Vincent had originally left it.

Vincent's eyes flicked across the room. He now looked annoyed. "One moment... I may have left the door hanging wide open... I could've sworn I shut it though."

The man left to check on the door, and sure it enough, it was wide open. He closed it with little effort and returned to where Sephiroth was standing with his arms folded over his chest.

"I take it the door was open?"

"Yes," Vincent replied with a small nod. "I'm not entirely sure how though. It was open much further than I usually open it. Did you hear anyone else come in?"

Sephiroth shook his head lamely. "No, I didn't hear a sound. I moved out of the living room a few minutes after you left. I would assume if another person came in they would have done so without my knowledge."

Vincent's stomach plummeted rapidly. Sephiroth also looked considerably pallid. "If someone else came in..." Vincent breathed. "They know you're here..."

Sephiroth turned sharply in the direction of a noise that erupted from down the hallway to his right. Vincent's eyes also flew to the source of the sound. Both men stood as still as statues.

"There is only one way out of your home, correct?" Sephiroth breathed so that only Vincent was able to hear him.

"Yes," Vincent confirmed in the same nearly inaudible voice.

Vincent couldn't see the dominant smirk on Sephiroth's face as the man advanced forward with Vincent on his heels. The two men rounded the corner and came face to face with Rude. Rude now stood rooted to the spot and looking terrified the moment it registered in his mind that Sephiroth was one of the two men standing before him. He backed up slowly.

Sephiroth advanced coolly and produced a swift blow to Rude's temple. The latter hit the ground with a dull _thud!_ Sephiroth turned to Vincent with a cruel smile on his lips. "You told them?"

Vincent stood rooted to the spot as he was determined to stand his ground. "No, I didn't say a word to them. He must have been far enough behind me that my senses didn't pick up on him. I wouldn't betray your trust whenever it's my life that's on the line..."

Sephiroth circled around Vincent. Malice gleamed in the pits of those sharp, green eyes. "I find that very hard to believe, Vincent..." Sephiroth snarled in one of his ears. "You're not one to make such a careless mistake... The fact that you were 'careless' enough makes me extremely suspicious of you."

Vincent followed Sephiroth's movements with his eyes. The man was extremely volatile whenever it came to matters such as this, but Vincent stood his ground. If you gave Sephiroth an inch, he would take a mile if he felt the need or desire.

"I did no such thing," Vincent denied. "I can plainly see that you're at least a little bit different. Why would I throw away something I know is extremely fragile?"

"You don't want me back here," Sephiroth stated over simplistically. "It's quite plain that you don't like that I'm still living and breathing in front of you. You like it even less that I'm using you."

"That doesn't mean I'm going to do something stupid like that, Sephiroth. Please, be reasonable here. I know my place, and that would have been by far overstepping it. I would rather mind my place and be used instead of allow you to slip out of my sight."

"Oh? You think I can't just disappear to where you won't be able to find me? I still find it rather tragic that you weren't paying as much attention as you should have been. I'm quite certain that you never so much as expressed an interest in Tseng's burial or its site for that matter. He wasn't a friend of yours..."

"And you are?" Vincent shot nastily. "I'm not like that, Sephiroth. I would like to think that I am intelligent enough not to let slip that you are alive even if I made a slight miscalculation..."

"Slight?" Sephiroth seethed as he grabbed Vincent's arm and spun him around. The vice grip didn't ease up at all. "I think that is more than slight, Vincent."

"Perhaps it would solidify what I am saying if you were to interrogate Rude and not me. He was present whenever I was talking to Rufus... If you cannot believe me than surely another's word will be able to reestablish that."

Sephiroth released Vincent's arm. A look of pure hatred shadowed his features for a momentary second before he turned his back on Vincent. "See to it that he doesn't leave, and make sure his phone is off and away from him. If I know how Rufus works, I will be damned if I'm going back to Hell because of him." With that, the man furiously sauntered away from the dark-haired man.

Vincent let out the breath he had held in the entire time Sephiroth had been circling around him and had hold of him. The man definitely had a force behind him. He glanced down at his arm where he had been grabbed. Sure enough, a bruise was beginning to form. Sighing, he turned to Rude.

Where on earth am I going to put him? Vincent wondered in dismay. He picked the man up and carried him to another room. He hastily found Rude's phone and removed the battery. Now all he would have to do is find some way to either barricade the man in the room or tie him up.

Vincent exited the room and hastily found the closet he stashed all his extra ammo and other necessities in. To his moderate surprise there was indeed some rope present amongst the items. Thanking his slight good fortune, he returned to where he had left Rude and hastily bound the man. He double checked all the knots and bindings to make sure they were tight enough but not too, too tight. Satisfied with his work, he emerged from the room and closed the door.

Sephiroth stood on the other side of the thresh looking down his nose at the ex-Turk. He inclined his head sharply and nodded in the direction away from the room as if to inform the man that he was to walk ahead of him. Vincent obeyed even though he wasn't particularly comfortable with an angry ex-general walking in his wake. His next directive was to go back into the bedroom.

Vincent hesitated at the door and received a sharp blow to the shoulder, which instantly got his attention and his body to move once more. Sephiroth entered the room immediately after him. The door slid shut with a harsh _click!_ Vincent seated himself on the bed before Sephiroth.

"You didn't notice him at all?" Sephiroth's voice was quiet but deadly. Malice still seeped in his eyes.

"I swear to you; I didn't notice him even once," Vincent did his best to console the man. "I'm telling you the truth, Sephiroth. I have no reason to lie to you."

"You're lucky you don't have a reason to lie to me," Sephiroth quipped as he neared Vincent. "That's the only thing saving your miserable soul right now." He caught the other man by the chin and jerked his face skywards. "Where is his phone?"

Vincent produced the battery and phone from one of his pockets and offered it to Sephiroth without a moment's hesitation. It quickly left his thin fingers as Sephiroth released his hold on Vincent's chin. The ex-general reclined against the wall and rotated the phone thoughtlessly in his hand for a moment. He then turned it over to the exposed back and pulled a chip from its innards. He broke the chip in two effortlessly before he tossed the phone and its battery onto the bed beside Vincent.

"Check it to be sure that there are no other tracers on it. I'm not sure what other sort of security measures they may have ingrained into the phone since I was with them; you will have a better eye for that than I will," He ordered Vincent.

Vincent obliged. In no time at all, the man had located two other tracers before deeming the phone bug-free. Sephiroth seemed satisfied by this. His agitation was slowly vanishing, but he still looked extremely volatile.

Vincent placed the phone, battery, and broken components on the dusty dresser on the far side of his room before fully devoting his attention once more to Sephiroth. "You should find some way to relax. All of that built up tension is only going to complicate things if we need to travel together."

Sephiroth shot a dark look in Vincent's direction. "Your caring is touching, but please keep your opinions to yourself. We wouldn't be in this sort of straight if you had been more conscious of your surroundings like any other person in your place would have been..."

Vincent inhaled deeply and did his best to avoid being instigated by the man standing before him. That's probably exactly what Sephiroth wanted anyway: a reaction from Vincent. If he didn't get it, he would probably continue to calm down. However, much to Vincent's dismay, his phone rang.

Sephiroth glowered at the man as Vincent pulled the phone out to answer it. He checked the caller id and cursed his fate. Cloud's number had appeared on the other end. Swallowing, he answered the phone.

"Hello, Cloud," Vincent greeted the blonde in a normal tone as his voice allow under the current circumstance. He could see pure, relentless fury take full hold of Sephiroth.

"Vincent," Cloud returned the greeting. "I heard you were in Rocket Town speaking with Rufus. Something up?"

"Who told you that?" Vincent inquired, doing his best not to sound caught off guard. "I was talking to Rufus, yes, but it was about a personal matter. He is the only person that would have known about it."

"Cid saw you, but he said you looked like you were busy so he didn't want to bother you," Cloud explained. "What kind of personal matter?"

"It was about Lucretia..." Vincent mumbled. "I would prefer not to talk about it."

Cloud paused as if he knew he hit a nerve. "Alright... Sorry about that then. I didn't mean to bother you. I hope it's cleared up... Later."

"Later..." Vincent's voice trailed as he hung up the phone.

Sephiroth exhaled deeply. "No wonder you were a Turk," He growled with immense distaste. "You don't have any problem lying to anyone."

Vincent simply shrugged his shoulders. "Look; it technically wasn't a lie. In a roundabout and technical sort of way, it wasn't a lie in the least. That's beside the point, however. I would like you to remember that if Rufus suspects something, Cloud is going to be the first person to know. You're lucky Cloud is sooner going to believe me than Rufus."

"I suppose that would be the case, wouldn't it?" Venom seeped into Sephiroth's words. "I suggest you watch where you step. You are on rather thin ice as things presently stand."

"I'm more than well aware of that fact, Sephiroth. You don't need to keep reminding me."


	5. Chapter 5

Vincent treaded lightly around the ex-general for the next few days. He even went through measures to make sure Rude didn't know where he was or what was going on after the man had finished questioning him. Vincent counted his blessings continually whenever he came into contact with a none-too-happy Sephiroth. After Rude had gone and been sufficiently disoriented, Sephiroth continued to be on edge. The man seemed to be at ease of tension whenever he unintentionally fell asleep somewhere near Vincent. It appeared the man was taking care not to do so in Vincent's presence.

A week passed before Sephiroth finally let his guard down just enough to allow Vincent some leeway. The latter was quite grateful. The feeling of walking on eggshells around the ex-SOLDIER was getting to be a bit unbearable. Sephiroth actually broke the tension by running his fingers gently though Vincent's hair and apologized for losing his grip. It was later that same day that Vincent and Sephiroth discussed their plans for a trip to Wutai.

"It would be wise to leave this coming Monday," Sephiroth decided as he sat down adjacent to where Vincent lay prostrate. "It will give us some time to get there and look around before the return ferry..."

Vincent nodded his agreement. "I think that would be best as well. What are we looking for exactly?"

"Tseng is an excellent Turk," Sephiroth sighed. "So we're going to be looking for anything that might point in the direction of what he may or may not have figured out. I remember working with him on a few missions... I have never seen such a powerful interrogator in my entire life. He could figure anything out through cross-examination. I was always relieved to see that he was never the one who would be questioning me if I reported something that didn't quite add up to the speculations of the company."

"He was an excellent replacement for Veld then?"

"In my opinion, he was indefinitely. I respected him, but even respect has its limits with me... He was after all trying to hunt me down to kill me..." Sephiroth's voice trailed off as if he were lost in thought. "That's beside the point though... I'm not entirely sure where the cemeteries are in Wutai..."

"I have an acquaintance there who mentioned something about them being on the far side of the city after you enter through the main gate. She said they're different graves than what we're used to seeing... There is that culture difference."

"Fair enough," Sephiroth admitted. "It'll just mean more work for us." He stood up. "I'm going for a little walk since it is nighttime... I don't think anything will bother me. I'll be back shortly."

"Alright... I'll be in here whenever you decide to come back." Vincent let his eyes drift shut as Sephiroth's silhouette crossed in front of him and vanished through his bedroom door.

A few minutes after Sephiroth had left, Vincent's eyes opened slowly. The man sat up and stared about his now empty bedroom. Perhaps it was time to put his old skills to use and see what exactly Sephiroth planned to do while he was away from Vincent. Prying himself from the covers of the bed, the ex-Turk disappeared out into the night air.

The air was crisp around Vincent. He inhaled deeply; it was a gorgeous night. Sephiroth was not hard to find at all in the world of green and white; the black trench coat stood out against the shapes of the forest in the red eyes that took in the scene.

Sephiroth seemed to be staring far off into the distance as it appeared that he had neither moved nor breathed during the entire that he had been standing there. Vincent approached cautiously knowing well how the man had been with those who had snuck up on him before. The ex-general didn't seem to notice the other's man slinking approach.

Sephiroth inhaled deeply all at once as if he were disappointed. "I wondered how long it would take you to come out here, Vincent," He informed the man somberly as he turned to face the ex-Turk. "Why is it that you feel the need to spy on me?"

"One never knows what you are up to, Sephiroth," Vincent remarked calmly as he slipped from his hiding place. "I'm sure you know that is exactly why they had you followed all those years ago, don't you?"

"Of course… I seem to be the only thing of interest to anyone anymore… Why is that, Vincent? I'm not sure why I am so interesting. I find myself to be rather mundane and boring. The only thing that remotely interests me about myself is my past; and as far as I have become concerned, there is no past for me…"

"If there is no past, then how can there be a future?" Vincent proposed. "You cannot have one without the other; I'm quite certain that you of all people should have realized this." He came to stand next to Sephiroth and stared out where the man had also been looking. "The past sometimes shapes the future, and in your case, I think that statement is the most accurate. You certainly had your way with so many different people and so many states of being that it is a wonder that you're even still here…"

Sephiroth shook his head dismally as if he disagreed with the man but offered up no further resistance to the thought. Rather, he leaned his head on Vincent's shoulder and continued his lifeless gaze across the plain stretching out before the two men. A gentle breeze suddenly rose up and teased their hair from its proper places. Sephiroth straightened himself up rather suddenly, and Vincent too stiffened considerably. Was something coming?

Vincent was the first to notice it. "It's coming this way…"

"What is it?" Sephiroth inquired stretching himself to see if he could see what was flying hastily towards them.

"It looks like some kind of vehicle…" Vincent quipped after a moment. "It probably isn't wise to stay out here any longer; let's get back inside."

Sephiroth nodded his agreement, and the two made a hasty retreat back into Vincent's humble abode. Vincent took care to make sure the door was securely locked before rejoining Sephiroth in the living room. "Are we going to be postponing our trip due to the untimely arrival of some unknown person?" Vincent asked gently as he sat down across from the lounging silver-haired man.

"I certainly hope that they will not complicate things," Sephiroth admitted dismally. "If they do however complicate things, I'm not sure that it will be safe here any longer…"

As if on cue, Vincent's phone rang. The man with drew it from his pocket. Both pairs of eyes were aimed at the caller id. Sephiroth slipped over to where Vincent sat and gawked unbelievingly at screen. Swallowing, Vincent answered the incoming call.

"Cloud," Vincent's level voice sighed into the phone.

"Open the door, Vincent; we need to talk, now," Cloud's tone demanded on the other end of the line. "I don't care if you're tired or not; it is an urgent matter."

"Very well… I'll be there in one moment."

Vincent closed the phone and glanced up at Sephiroth. "Go hide somewhere… Cloud wants to talk, and I'm fairly certain it isn't about Tifa…"

Sephiroth complied, hastily slipping from the room and down the hallway. Vincent then turned to leave to answer the door. After the ex-Turk answer the door, Cloud said not a word until they were safely inside Vincent's living room-study. Cloud seated himself rather uncomfortably while Vincent simply stared at him pensively from where he had elected to stand.

"What's this urgent matter you mentioned on the phone?" Vincent broke the tense silence.

"Sephiroth is back," Cloud informed the man in a tone devoid of all emotion.

Vincent was genuinely surprised to hear those words escape Cloud's lips so there was no need for the man to pretend to be surprised. The man inhaled deeply and sent Cloud a piercing gaze. "But that's impossible, even for Sephiroth. How could he possibly be back?"

"That's what I've been trying to figure out, Vincent. None of it is making sense. Rufus was tipped off by someone "outside of the Turks" so we're not really sure how accurate the information is; but I'm not about to take my chances. He tried to destroy the Planet once, and I'll be damned if I'm going to let him attempt to do so under my nose!" Cloud clenched his hand into a fist. "Vincent, you've got to help me… I need you to go to Junon and keep an eye on things there…"

Vincent sighed inaudibly under his breath. "Cloud, he's not going to be somewhere that we're going to find him that easily…"

"That isn't the point, Vincent; I know he's not going to be somewhere highly populated where people are going to panic. It would blow his cover. The point is that you're going to stay there in case he _does_ do just that. You have to, Vincent. There's no one else to ask since they all are at their respective places watching for him."

Vincent visibly looked uncomfortable. "Cloud… You know how I feel about large groups of people like that…"

"Vincent, please… It's for the good of everyone," Cloud petitioned. "Once this dies down again, you can go back to doing whatever you're doing…"

"Alright," Vincent reluctantly agreed. "I'll take my watch up as soon as I can."

"Thanks, Vincent…" Cloud rose and clapped a hand against Vincent's shoulder. "I knew I could count on you…"

With that, the blonde departed. He left without even realizing what position he had just put Vincent in. The latter took in a shaky breath; it looked like he was going to continue dealing with an angry ex-general after all. He turned around to find two brilliant green eyes drilling into his cool crimson ones.

"This had better been someone's imagination just playing tricks on them," Sephiroth breathed in a tense tone. "I would hate for things to get messy."

"If you were listening, which I'm sure you were, you should know that I didn't say anything to anyone about you…" Vincent shot at the man.

Sephiroth moved in dangerously close to Vincent. "I don't care how he found out; that isn't what's bothering me… I told you that he wasn't to hear a word at all."

"And if you were careless?" Vincent countered, returning the green glare with a crimson one.

"I am _not_ careless," Sephiroth growled. The man's vice grip was on Vincent's throat and cutting off his air supply. "I haven't been near a village in months, Vincent; and I have been in the heart of the wildlife's territory. Would you care to tell me how I might have been careless that a human _happened _upon me?"

"Perhaps it wasn't you that they saw…" Vincent struggled to suggest. "Perhaps it was Yazoo…"

Sephiroth's grip eased. "Even so, Yazoo is in the City of the Ancients… Last I checked no one goes down into that area either."

"I don't know what to tell you… If you weren't caught, it's highly probable that he was then. He may have gotten restless and chosen to leave the City…"

Sephiroth released Vincent from his grasp. "Perhaps he has…" He sighed gently as he turned around. He started to walk away from Vincent.

"And what are we to do?" Vincent's tone stopped Sephiroth in his tracks.

"Obviously the blonde must have your first attention in this case; if it appears you have another agenda, he's going to get suspicious, wouldn't you say?" Sephiroth remarked without looking back over his shoulder at Vincent.

"I'm to go to Junon and leave you alone here? I think not. I would prefer to keep my personal effects to myself…"

"What makes you think that I'd be letting you go alone, Vincent? Your nice ass isn't leaving my sight now…" Sephiroth laughed hollowly and beckoned Vincent with a gloved hand over his shoulder. "Come; we are going to get some rest before our journey tomorrow."

Vincent's gauntlet punched into Sephiroth's left shoulder. This only seemed to make the ex-general laugh heartily. "Oh, yes, such a wonderful idea," Sephiroth mocked, "to punch me in my sword-wielding arm… It's almost as if you want to take on the whole world by yourself…"

Just to prove that the strike had done nothing to the man, Sephiroth's left arm caught an incoming assault and dragged the raven-haired man towards him. His right hand grabbed a fist full of Vincent's black shirt. "Do not get mad at me," He warned. "I will make you miserable."

Vincent's eyes glowed fiercely. "Do _not_ comment on my physical state, Sephiroth. You'd think I'd let you touch me? Hah!"

Sephiroth laughed mockingly again. "I shall do as I please. Now, go lay down; I want to rest."

Vincent freed himself with a huff and stormed past Sephiroth. The man disappeared into his bedroom with the latter following him shortly thereafter. Tonight was going to be a really, really long night for Vincent.

Vincent glanced apprehensively at the ex-general as the silver-haired man took up a position on the bed next to him. He suddenly felt exceedingly uncomfortable sharing a bed with the ex-general. The night prior hadn't bothered him one bit, but now he felt like Sephiroth might try to pressure him into doing something that he would rather not do with him. He caught Sephiroth's eye and hastily devoted his attention to another part of his room.

Sephiroth laughed jeeringly in the silence. "Paranoid, Vincent?" He inquired teasingly as he tugged on Vincent's sleeve. "Afraid I'll do something?"

Vincent swatted Sephiroth's hand away. "I thought you wanted to rest. I'm quite certain tormenting me doesn't qualify as 'resting,' Sephiroth." The man growled. "The only thing you're doing now is annoying me."

Sephiroth readjusted himself and put his chin on Vincent's shoulder. "Why were you staring at me then? _I'm _fairly certain you had a particular thought going through your mind."

Vincent glared at the green eyes that reflected him.

"You're a pain, you know that?" Vincent grumbled after a few moments of silence passed between the two. He finally looked away from those green eyes and inhaled deeply.

"Of course I know that," Sephiroth chuckled in his ear. "I had to put up with a lot so I think it's more than fair that I get to be a small thorn in your side for a little while." A strong arm snaked across Vincent's abdomen. "Besides, you _enjoy_ my company."

Vincent shook his head back and forth gently. "I don't enjoy your company; I tolerate it." His eyes flicked back over to the other man and met a quizzical gaze.

"For you, what would the difference be?"

Vincent merely sighed in reply and returned his gaze to the far side of the room. He felt Sephiroth move closer to him and opted not to move away. The man's arm tightened around him, which instantly called Vincent's attention back to him.

"What?" The dark-haired man demanded of the silver-haired one.

Vincent had made the mistake of turning his head the full way to keep Sephiroth entirely within his field of vision. Sephiroth nuzzled his face against Vincent's and skimmed his lips against Vincent's dry ones. "Stay close," Sephiroth whispered into the other's ear.

Despite himself, Vincent nodded gently. His eyes flicked over the ex-general's calm features, and he noticed for the first time just how similar he was to his birth mother. The cruel metal gauntlet gently ran the back of Vincent's fingers along the other's cheek before obediently returning to its appointed side. Sephiroth's eye lids flew open and regarded Vincent in disbelief. Vincent avoided the other's look and closed his eyes.

"What in all the Planet was _that_ about?" Sephiroth demanded in a tone that still betrayed his surprise. "That isn't something I would have expected from you."

"Nor was your request to stay close something that I would have expected from you," Vincent returned coolly.

"In my defense," Sephiroth started, "I've said to a lot of people I want to keep near me for a night. You, on the other hand, had no reason to show me any kind of affection."

"Is that what you think?"

"Yes," Sephiroth retorted rather indignantly. "What the hell was it about?"

Vincent's red eyes were once again looking down at Sephiroth's green eyes. His eye brow rose after a moment. "You wanted affection; I gave you some. Leave it."

This seemed to satisfy Sephiroth, who once more returned his face to Vincent's shoulder. The man's eyes slipped shut again, but his arm tightened around Vincent even more. Vincent pressed his cheek into the soft silver hair of the other and placed his human hand against Sephiroth's forearm. Rough fingers wrapped around the soft flesh.

_It feels like I'm with her again…_ His mind murmured in the silence. _He even looks like her… But—_

"Hush," Sephiroth's calm voice seemed to scold Vincent's mind. "You'll keep yourself up."

Grinning to himself, Vincent said that he would and let his body relax. He slipped into REM after a few more passing moments of silence. Sephiroth joined him shortly thereafter.


	6. Chapter 6

Sephiroth and Vincent remained entwined for the remainder of the night. The two were abruptly disturbed from their slumber when Vincent's phone unceremoniously went off at the peak of dawn. Sephiroth cursed while Vincent shot the device a murderous look as if hoping it would spontaneously combust into flames. The ex-Turk grabbed the phone in agitation. Cloud was calling him again.

"There had better be a really good reason why you're waking me up at this hour, Cloud," Vincent snarled in his quiet tone into the phone.

He heard Cloud swallow on the other end of the line. "Crap… I'm sorry; I forgot about the time difference. I'll make this quick," Cloud apologized hastily. "Rude said something about seeing Sephiroth somewhere near you, but Rude mentioned that he was on the move to go elsewhere… So I want you to backtrack a little bit before you go to Junon."

Vincent groaned. "You woke me up to tell me _that_? Can't you learn how to use text messaging? It would make my life so much easier…"

"Maybe in your dreams, Vincent," Cloud snickered. "Anyway, he was seen near some remote abandoned outpost near you. Check it out, and then head out to Junon. I'll send you the coordinates in an hour."

"Right," Vincent hung up the phone and contemplated chucking the noisy contraption at the wall as hard as his scientifically altered body would allow.

"I'm seriously considering killing that brat," Sephiroth's groggy voice declared from beside Vincent.

"That would make two of us," Vincent's head hit the pillow once more. "Evidentially, you like to spend your time in ruins in the middle of nowhere."

Sephiroth blinked sleepily at Vincent. "Are you fucking serious? Why the hell would I go to some stagnant old ruin?"

Vincent semi-shrugged. "Ask Rude next time you see him."

Comprehension dawned on Sephiroth. "Isn't that where you let him go?"

Vincent thought for a moment and arrived at the same conclusion. "That would be why Cloud thinks that. Did he catch a glimpse of you leaving perhaps?"

"It's probable, but that will slacken any suspicion surrounding you."

Vincent nodded his agreement. "I do not, however, feel like getting up at the present moment to get ready to "look" for you."

Sephiroth chortled. "Fair enough, we can stay here a little while longer then."

Sephiroth cuddled up next to Vincent again. The latter found himself not minding the other's need to stay close. _It's because he reminds you of _her. His brain told him roughly. _Get a grip on yourself…_

Vincent shook his head to clear it and let the dullness around him ease him back into a semi-conscious state. 

* * *

><p>True to his word, Cloud sent the coordinates an hour later to Vincent's phone. Thankfully for Vincent's phone, the ex-Turk had silenced incoming text messages and other alerts. The screen did light up however, and Vincent nudged Sephiroth awake again.<p>

"Time to go," Vincent informed the other man in a tired voice.

With a groan, Sephiroth sat up and stretched his arms. "Why do I have to go with you?" The younger man demanded. "You're a more than fully capable adult."

"You are correct, Sephiroth; however, I would rather have you where I can keep an eye on you. I don't need Rude sneaking back in here or Cloud stopping by and catching you in my home." Vincent pointed out simplistically. "Now get your coat and armour on."

Sephiroth complied with another groan and some muttering under his breath about Vincent. The latter dressed himself in silence. Death Penalty once again found itself at his hip just as Masamune found itself in Sephiroth's all too willing hand. The two men jostled out of the home and into the breaking dawn.

No words passed between them as they went as neither one of them was particularly interested in striking up conversation after the brink of dawn had just passed. Due to this fact, they did make excellent time reaching the ruins despite all the yawns on both their parts.

Vincent stood atop a rock and looked about the ruins. "Rude probably saw you whenever we were sitting over by that tower," The ex-Turk observed as he pointed out the great ruin to Sephiroth. "So in theory, you would have gone the exact opposite way of Junon."

"Towards Wutai…" Sephiroth nodded his agreement. "That was the original plan… Does that acquaintance of yours in Wutai know Cloud as well?"

"Unfortunately, she does," Vincent relayed with a dismal sigh. "That's probably why I'm being asked to go to Junon instead of Wutai."

"She?" Sephiroth questioned, seeming surprised.

"She," Vincent confirmed. "She has to be the most annoying person I have ever run into."

Sephiroth regarded him quietly for a moment or two. "Is she the chief's daughter?"

"How do you know that?" Vincent demanded in a bewildered tone.

"I remember hearing Zack telling Angeal about a girl he had run into on his way to the chief's residence back during the war," Sephiroth shrugged. "It was a few years back so she would have been around the age of an adult at the time you would have met her."

Vincent regarded Sephiroth for a few moments and then returned his gaze to the ruins. "Well, I can tell him that you'll be heading towards Wutai, but that would make things unnecessarily complicated later."

"Or, you could do like you did with the Turks and claim that there isn't anything there and that Rude is simply trying to stir up trouble for you…"

"There is also that approach," Vincent admitted. "But what happens if he told Rufus that he spotted you as well? Rufus can tell when Rude is lying and when he isn't."

"Who does Rufus trust more?"

"Rude…" Vincent answered glumly. "My word wouldn't have a prayer against Rude's unless I had evidence to support otherwise…"

"Well, there would be evidence…" Sephiroth murmured after a moment of silence. "I could plant Masamune where I originally had lost it…" His voice trailed off in disgust.

"I wouldn't ask you to do that," Vincent shook his head. "That's too risky. Cloud will probably be checking there. And if he found it missing or saw either one of us putting Masamune back, all Hell is going to break loose. We're stuck for the time being; we're going to have to wait for this to blow over."

Sephiroth let out a melancholy sigh. "If he does check the Great Northern Cave and finds Masamune missing, it's not going to blow over."

"In this case, we pray that Cloud isn't that bright," Vincent remarked as he headed off into the ruins.

As a saddened look gathered on his face, Sephiroth quickly followed after the man.

As Vincent pretended to look around the ruins searching for a sign of Sephiroth's appearance, the latter was examining the ruins themselves. He happened across something interesting on the ruined tower. He bent to examine it.

"Vincent," He called to the raven-haired man who a small distance from him.

Vincent sauntered over to the ex-general and crouched to see what he was examining. Both men came to the same conclusion. "So this is another ruined village of the Cetra," Sephiroth concluded after seeing the look on Vincent's face.

"I wonder if they know that," Vincent ventured as he once again took in the sight of the ruins around him. "It seems unlikely though… It does make me wonder if there are other villages buried just like this one."

"There would have to be," Sephiroth answered as he rose. "But that is beside the point… What knowledge can be gained from this place though? That is the true question."

"From the looks of things," Vincent sighed, "only the date it was destroyed. The entire place has begun to rot. I doubt very much that any book material has survived all the elements that rained down on this place."

"You are probably right," Sephiroth reluctantly agreed as he did his best to pry himself away from the need to continue searching in the ruins. "If you're done 'searching,' we should leave now."

Vincent nodded and directed the man in the way that they had come. He pulled out his phone as he went and dial Cloud.

"Vincent?" Cloud's voice asked on the other end.

"Cloud," Vincent answered. "It doesn't appear that Sephiroth spent too much time in those ruins. He was likely just passing through."

"Do you have any idea where he may have gone? Surely you'd be able to track him if you were there within a few days of his departure."

"No such luck," Vincent lied. "He probably left as soon as Rude saw him."

"Where do you think he might be headed?"

"More than likely to the Great Northern Cave…"

The comment snapped Sephiroth's attention immediately to Vincent. A murderous glint slipped into his eyes while Vincent motioned for him to calm down. The latter pressed a solitary finger to his lips. Sephiroth fumed in silence.

"Masamune is there… That's right. I forgot about that," Cloud groaned. "He probably already has it by now."

"Well, how long ago did Rude say that he saw Sephiroth?" Vincent inquired. "It's possible that he may still be on his way there."

"It was two or three days ago. I can only hope you're right," Cloud admitted. "I'm going to go check this out. Make sure you get to Junon within the next two days."

"Don't worry, Cloud," Vincent reassured him. "I was planning on leaving today."

"Good, later," Cloud sighed.

"Later."

Vincent closed the phone and prepared to face Sephiroth's onslaught. "You have one minute to reassure _me_," Sephiroth snarled.

"I could tell him it looked like you were going to Wutai," Vincent explained. "Masamune was the only thing of any value to you whenever you were alive, right? It would only be logical for you to go after it. He'll find it missing, and assume that you have gone elsewhere, which means he will be right back where he started. Also, who's to say that someone else didn't take that weapon as a souvenir? There's no way to tell. As long as no one saw you up there, he's going to have a long trip ahead of him."

Sephiroth cast Vincent a weary glance. "You'd better pray that you're right."

"I pray nightly, and that will just be another sin that I must atone for later…" Vincent sighed.

Sephiroth let a spiteful comment die on his tongue when he realized Vincent wasn't joking. He nodded his head as if to say the man's explanation sufficed, and the two continued their journey in silence.

Vincent stopped back at his home to grab a few things that they would need for the journey. He also grabbed the keys to a boat. Sephiroth eyed them suspiciously. Vincent grinned at Sephiroth. "Before you ask, I'm not telling you what they're to."

"Your coffin?" Sephiroth joked in a snappy tone.

Vincent shot a glare at him. "Hah, hah, very funny, Sephiroth."

The man snickered. "I thought it was." He broke into an honest grin then.

Vincent shook his head and rolled his eyes. "Let's go before I lock you in it."

Sephiroth eyed the keys apprehensively. "If I didn't think you were actually kidding, I think I would honestly be scarred. You could probably find a way to get me into it."

Vincent felt a smirk snake onto his features despite himself. "Of course I could," He brooded. "Come to think of it; it wouldn't be too hard at all in fact…"

Sephiroth's green eyes flicked from the keys to Vincent and back again. "How about this, you walk in front of me?"

Vincent laughed and did as Sephiroth suggested. "You could walk beside me…" He remarked after a few minutes had passed once they had left Vincent's home. "The coffin is in Nibelheim, and the last I checked, we are going the complete opposite direction."

Sephiroth fell into pace beside Vincent. "I suppose that is a true enough statement. But what are the keys for? An educated guess would say either a boat or a plane, but I am under the impression that I am mistaken."

"You're close, but no cigar," Vincent informed the man. "You'll see in an hour."

The two walked on in silence for the next hour. They eventually came to where Vincent had whatever mode of transportation hidden. Sephiroth watched the man skeptically as they entered the cove along the far side of the beach. "The abandoned ShinRa dock?" Sephiroth remarked in surprise. "This isn't what I was expecting from you."

"I didn't think that it was," Vincent admitted calmly. "But in light of recent events, I was allowed to pick a vehicle for myself. When it's needed, Cid comes by and does some repairs for me."

Before the two former members of ShinRa, a small cargo plane stood vigilant. It didn't look like it could fly though. Sephiroth eyed it curiously.

"It does fly regardless of its looks," Vincent explained upon seeing Sephiroth's skeptical look. "It's made to look like it won't be able to fly."

"It's supposed to look like it's not functional so no one takes it, I assume."

"You assume correctly," Vincent confirmed. "Well, we might as well get this over with…"

Vincent and Sephiroth boarded the plane after making sure the restraints were done away with and fueled. The two men sat side by side, Vincent at the controls and Sephiroth as copilot. Their flight to Junon would take a few hours, but that was fine by them. It just meant that Cloud wouldn't be able to bother them for that time.

* * *

><p>Junon harbor was busy as always. The city had transformed back into a trading port. Vincent landed the plane skillfully into the bay and maneuvered it into a spot. After paying for the spot for a week, the two disembarked. Sephiroth had taken care to hide his hair underneath a hat and his eyes behind a pair of sunglasses. The look wasn't uncommon as a good majourity of the people had either one or the other, and in some cases, both. The man had even switched out of his normal clothes in favour for a white shirt and black slacks.<p>

Sephiroth stuck to Vincent like glue all the way until they reached an out-of-the-way hotel. Sephiroth surmised that Vincent didn't like public attention any more than he did. However, he was grateful for this.

The two hastened up to the bedroom after Vincent paid for the room. Sephiroth collapsed onto the bed and freed his platinum mane from its confines. He also removed his shades and tossed both them and the cap onto the stand beside him.

"That was beyond nerve wracking for me," Sephiroth admitted. "I was terrified that someone was going to knock into me and my hat would fall off."

"I think it was just as nerve wracking for me," Vincent informed the man. "If that had happened, and someone had something to say to Cloud, game over."

Sephiroth nodded his head in melancholy agreement. "It was fortuitous that it didn't happen. I'm so glad to be away from that boisterous crowd…" He massaged his temples. "That is the one problem with mako-enhanced senses."

"I will agree to that," Vincent came to sit down beside Sephiroth. "I am worried however… I'm not sure what he expects me to do now that I'm here…"

"You could call him," Sephiroth suggested.

"No, no," Vincent sighed. "I'm just going to 'keep watch' on some people and then ask questions if someone spreads rumours about it. I think I'm here to just stop news from spreading should someone actually spot you."

"Well, I don't think they're going to spot me unless by some miracle they are granted x-ray vision." Sephiroth's finger tips very gently stroked Vincent's back. "How late is it?"

Vincent glanced at his phone. "It's nearing eight o'clock in the evening. Dusk will probably hit around nineish."

Sephiroth nodded his head slowly and propped himself against the head board. "What are we going to do for a little while then?"

"We don't…" Vincent replied softly. "I'm not in the mood to deal with the general public after that flight and after that rude awakening this morning."

Sephiroth stretched his arms. "It's going to be uneventful, isn't it? The only thing that would be even worthwhile in this town would be going out to a club or something."

Vincent shot Sephiroth a look. "Do I look like Reno to you?"

Sephiroth held his hands up in a surrendering motion. "This is why I was suggesting it; you're more uptight than I am…"

Vincent shook his head dismally and said nothing more on the subject. Neither one of the men moved for another few minutes. Vincent eventually caved and settled next to Sephiroth.

"We need to do something…" Sephiroth commented after ten minutes of silence became unbearable. "I refuse to sit here and do nothing."

"Then what would you suggest we do? And don't say go to a club…" Vincent sighed.

"I'm not sure what you want me to say then. Surely you have some idea…"

"Sleep sounds nice right about now," Vincent chuckled. "But I'm sure that doesn't interest you since you are intent staying awake just yet."

Vincent's head leaned onto Sephiroth's armoured shoulder. Sephiroth looked at Vincent through his lower eyelashes. The man did honestly look tired, but at that same time, it was a perfectly legitimate thing for him to look as tired as he did at that moment. Sephiroth smoothed the hair out the man's eyes. The crimson orbs locked his green gaze.

A small smile graced Sephiroth's features for a moment, but it vanished the moment Vincent's phone rang. The dark-haired man grabbed it. Cloud was calling again.

"Now what does he want?" Vincent grumbled. He quickly answered the phone. "What Cloud?"

"Did you get there safely?"

"Yes, I took my plane. I didn't want to deal with traveling expenses and crowds here in Junon."

"I figured that was the case. I was just making sure that you got there safe and sound. If anything interesting crops up, let me know. I don't think there will be, but just you know..."

"I'll keep you posted if I notice anything. Later."

"Later."

Vincent hung up the phone and turned the volume down. He put it on the nightstand on his half of the bed and stretched his arms. "I'm going to go get a shower," He decided.

A pouting look slithered onto Sephiroth's features for a split moment, but it was dismissed before Vincent had a chance to notice. "I'll behave in here then. It's not like I have anything that I can get into…"

Vincent chortled to himself and disappeared into the bathroom. When he reemerged, Sephiroth went in to get a shower. Vincent snaked under the covers and stared distantly at the wall. He had caught sight of the smile on Sephiroth's face and was rather disappointed that Cloud had taken that moment away.

Sephiroth came out of the bathroom drying his lengthy hair. Vincent turned towards him and earned himself a suspicious look from Sephiroth. A silver eyebrow arched up as if asking what Vincent wanted.

"You smiled earlier," Vincent informed the man. "You looked calm."

"Your point is?"

"I've never seen you look like that."

"Don't hold your breath," Sephiroth returned curtly as he threw the towel over the arm of a chair. He joined Vincent on the bed.

Vincent made a face, but said nothing more on the subject. His attention had been devoted to whatever was happening outside in Junon. He sauntered over to the window and looked out. Sephiroth joined him, but hung back in the shadows just enough so he wouldn't be seen.

"Flames?" The ex-general questioned. "What on earth is happening out there?"

"I'm not sure… But they aren't coming this way," Vincent observed. "The people are running this way to escape the blaze."

Vincent turned to grab his gun, but Sephiroth caught his arm. "No," he commanded the ex-Turk, "absolutely not. I refuse to let you go out there."

"Why is that? I can't just let those people be attacked."

"You can, and you will. What's left of the Shin-Ra guards will be taking care of the situation. You will stay right here with me."

"And if they accuse you?"

"They can't, Vincent. Don't you get it? They don't know that I'm alive. I'm fairly certain panic would spread across the world faster than any wildfire if anyone so much as heard I was alive. I'm not letting you go out there. They would reach that same conclusion if you were to go out there."

"I'm not sure if that is your sadistic side or your logic talking…"

"It's some of both. Now, put your gun down and come back and lay with me."

Vincent hesitantly place Death Penalty with the rest of his clothes and allowed himself to be dragged back to bed. Sephiroth forced him down first and then occupied the space next to Vincent. His arm once again wrapped possessively around Vincent's stomach.

Sephiroth's face was nuzzled into the bend of Vincent's neck. The rest of his body was pressed to Vincent unlike the night before. He seemed to be making certain that Vincent wouldn't be able to leave even if the man wanted to.

"Sephiroth, I'm not going anywhere… What you said made perfect sense," Vincent consoled him.

"I shall see to that," Sephiroth muttered into Vincent's skin. "I don't care if I'm making you uncomfortable either." His mouth seemed to be making Vincent's skin prickle.

"You aren't," Vincent's voice sounded surprisingly relieved.

"A tempting sentiment…" Sephiroth cooed with a small chuckle. "But no matter, I will let you have this mock peace for now."


	7. Chapter 7

A/N:

Sorry, sorry, for the lack update... My mind has been elsewhere lately. So sorry! Anyway, here you go~  
>I also apologize... This is not one of my better chapters, in my opinion. This is actually a rewrite of what I had before so yeah... I don't really like it. -shrug-<p>

* * *

><p><em>A creaking door. Many echoes of heavily booted feet. A soft murmur.<em>

_Silence._

_An exchange of bothered words. The sound of dust falling to the floor. An inhuman snarl. Finally, the ear-splitting scream._

_Silence._

Vincent jolted awake feeling worse than he could remember feeling in more recent times. He was visibly shaking with streaks of sweat trickling down his chest and back, causing his shirt to stick to his thin frame. He chanced a glance at Sephiroth.

The silver haired man had evidently let him go at some point in the course of the night and now lay with his back to Vincent. He was breathing evenly, undisturbed as if the being next to him hadn't jumped out of his skin.

Vincent debated waking the other man up, thought better of it, and clamoured from the bed. He walked his shaking body to the bathroom sink. He turned on the cold water and let it run for a few moments before splashing his face. He rested his palms on the sides of the sink and beheld his image in the mirror.

His face was coated with sweat and cool water. His hair framed his face and stuck to his forehead in various ways. Dark circles had formed under his eyes as if he hadn't slept at all. And his eyes… _They aren't my eyes!_ He threw himself away from the sink in a furious motion and slammed his back into the wall before he unceremoniously slid down the wall. These things, these _demons_, were supposed to be gone. _This isn't happening, not now…_

"Vincent?" Sephiroth's groggy voice called distantly. "Are you alright?"

Vincent heard the man rise and pad cautiously to the bathroom. He kept his head down, unsure how Sephiroth would react. The One-Winged Angel's steps stopped in front of him and his head cocked Vincent's chin skyward. Green met glowing gold levelly, unflinchingly. For a few very brief moments, Vincent could have sworn he had seen sympathy in those generally cold eyes. Neither man said anything until Sephiroth straightened up and gazed pensively at the other man with sleep no longer lining his eyes.

"You feel threatened," Sephiroth surmised softly. "It's obviously not by me… You would have reacted far earlier, more explosively even." He continued as he helped Vincent to his feet, "The presence you're feeling is clearly strong; describe it to me."

Vincent faltered for a moment, slightly taken aback by the unfeeling in Sephiroth's words. He slowly came to the conclusion that perhaps the man didn't know how to express sympathy… _Or maybe he just doesn't want to_, the other half of his mind decided.

Vincent allowed Sephiroth to lead him back to the bed where he convinced Vincent to lay more comfortably while he remained standing. The ex-Turk stared back at the ex-general while he tried to find the words to describe the presence he was feeling. Eventually, he just gave up.

"I cannot describe it to you," He admitted surprising himself by the snarl that came out in place of his own voice.

Sephiroth regarded him calmly before striking the smallest of smirks as if he was privy to some kind of joke at Vincent's expense. He seated himself next to Vincent and let his gaze fall to the floor. "It's probably Genesis," he relayed quietly.

Vincent felt his suddenly too-tense form relax, and his eyes slowly seemed to melt back into their normal standard. The presence had a name; for now, he could relax. "You seem happy about that," Vincent noted in his normal tone.

The other shrugged indecisively. "Probably was the key word, Vincent," Sephiroth reminded him smoothly. "There's a chance it could be something worse than him."

"Only one way to find out," Vincent sighed knowingly. "The morning news should be on soon… Perhaps we could learn something or even get a hint."

Vincent clicked on the television and surfed through the various channels until he found the daily news channel. The two of them watched the images flicked by on mute until it was time for the program they had been waited for flickered onto the screen. Vincent unmuted the television, and both men listened intently.

_"Last night's fire was believed to be the work of the gang-related violence that has been rapidly spreading through the city. Authorities believe the resulting blaze was caused by a pipe bomb detonating underneath one of the stoves in the destroyed restaurant behind me," _The news reporter relayed. _"They are still unable to decide which gang was responsible for the bombing…"_

Vincent switched off the television. "There's gang-related violence in Junon?" He quizzed Sephiroth.

The addressed shrugged again. "I had no idea, but then, this could be a throw-back to how Shin-Ra originally covered up interrogations and hits to keep the general public on neutral ground. I'm not sure if I buy into the gang theory at all… It was too well contained, _and_ the restaurant in question was run by an old couple. We, my unit and I, occasionally would dine there whenever we were stationed in Junon…"

"A distraction," Vincent finished for Sephiroth. "A distraction for what?"

"This is the part where I wonder how you managed to stay alive as a Turk…"

"And if I tell you I was thinking aloud?"

The look Sephiroth gave him made it abundantly clear that Sephiroth was calling "bullshit" on him. Vincent merely sent a very slight smirk his way. Sephiroth shook his head.

"We seemed to have stumbled from the topic…" The silver-haired one drawled. "It's pertinent for us to go search for rumours or—if possible—solid information—''

"I must object to the 'we,'" Vincent cut in. He held up a hand to stop Sephiroth's objection. "It's not a matter of not being able to trust you; it's a matter of you being _seen_. It's too risky even with a disguise unless you're willing to dye your hair."

Sephiroth shook his head glumly, which Vincent took to mean that the man was rather attached to his hair. "I am _not_ going to sit here all day while you're out and about. You either give me something to do, or I'm coming with you. The choice is yours," The ex-general informed him adamantly.

Vincent was about to retort when a knock on the door rendered him speechless. The entire world became for too still for any form of comfort. Vincent followed Sephiroth's eyes to the clock; it was nearing 0900 hours. Both men exchanged glances before Vincent gestured for Sephiroth to make himself scarce. The man complied as Vincent strode anxiously to the door, expecting the worst all the while. He opened the door apprehensively, slowly, after checking to make sure Sephiroth was completely out of sight.

The person standing on the other side of the door shocked him thoroughly. The ex-director of the Turks stood regarding him quietly with his mysterious and unamused eyes. "Are you going to let me in, Valentine; or are you going to stand there gawking at me?" A slightly accented voice demanded quietly.

Vincent slid out of the man's way and came close to slamming the door. He glared at the dark-haired man, who was now seated in the armchair with his legs crossed and fingertips touching. Whole and total silence fell. Tseng broke the silence, and what he had to say agonizingly increased the knot of dread and sense of foreboding within Vincent.

"I'm sure you're wonder why I staged my own death and why I've chosen to come see you," Tseng began in his professional voice. "And I assure you, I will answer the former as soon as I explain the later.

"In regards to the latter, I found out you had been asking around for information on my 'gravesite' by the request of a particular someone who is presently eavesdropping. I digress. There's nothing of interest to either of you in that grave or even around it; in short, you're wasting your time.

"Presently, it has come to my attention that you both have interest in today's events. I have some information that you both might find handy if you're interested in hearing it." Tseng held up a finger indicating to Vincent, who had opened his mouth to speak, that all questions or statements were to wait. "In a moment, Valentine; let me finish. Now assuming that Rude was telling me the truth, this entire situation directly involves me, and I'm not about to let this run its course. The last time I allowed something to do that, I had to fake my own death… Keeping to my prior statement, if you chose to ignore my offer to help you both, you will find that I can be a rather excruciating thorn in your side. Now I'll save the rest of my story for another time, I'm sure you both have many questions."

As Tseng finished, he stood and closed the drapes as the sun was just beginning to seep through the clouds. He returned the chair when Sephiroth emerged from the bathroom. He glowered at the ex-director menacingly as the other meticulously smoothed out his suit.

"Those are more words than you have ever spoken in your life," Sephiroth seethed agitatedly. "I see you've been up to your usual tricks as per usual. I can't seem to stay out of your radar. However, if you become a complication, _Director_, you won't need to fake your death a second time."

Tseng regarded Sephiroth closely for a few moments in silence. "Come again? You failed to kill me once already; Vincent had seen to that plan being thwarted. He also took care that Elena and I were taken to a medical facility after your Remnants had their way with us," He reclined in the chair as he spoke. "Regardless, I have been keeping tabs on the two of you. Vincent is a little easier to follow than you, but no less, there were days when you stumbled upon my radar."

Vincent and Sephiroth exchanged looks for a moment. Sephiroth spoke first: "How long have you been following us?"

Tseng paused for a moment. "Hm… I'm not sure when this all began. I can tell you that it was before the two of you caught Rude sneaking about. Rude did however confirm my suspicions that the two of you had reached some sort of agreement concerning Genesis Rhapsodos."

"This has to be something that Rufus sent you to do," Vincent surmised. "I cannot conceivably think of another reason for you to be here."

"That is hardly the case," Tseng informed Vincent levelly. "Rufus and I had a bit of a falling out prior to when I staged my death… I'm here on my own accord."

Sephiroth opened his mouth to say something once more, but Vincent cut in. "Don't, Sephiroth; drop it at least for right now," He then directed his attention to Tseng. "And what is contingent on your information?"

Tseng fidgeted for a brief moment, which Sephiroth ignored but Vincent noticed right away. He took in a silent breath before he muttered something inaudible to both in human ears. He looked up, noticed they hadn't changed their looks, and muttered a quiet curse in Wutain. "Protection," he mumbled as if the word was foreign on his tongue.

Sephiroth and Vincent looked taken aback. Sephiroth caught Vincent's eye before he grinned jeeringly. "_Protection_?" He taunted. "You're _kidding_."

"I'm dead serious," Tseng quipped coolly as his lip curled upwards. "That's why I approached you both."

"Protection," Sephiroth repeated in a near purr. "That requests contradicts every minute detail of your person."

"I agree with you," Tseng admitted. "But I know my limits; a pissed-off Genesis falls well beyond my league, I'm afraid."

Silence descended upon the room. Once more, Sephiroth and Vincent found themselves staring at the ex-direction in utter disbelief. Tseng didn't seem to be affected by their looks, or he was deliberately ignoring the other two men in the room; in accordance, he pulled out his phone and stared haphazardly at the text on the screen before grimacing and returning it to his pocket.

"How long does this last?" Vincent finally broke the silence as he folded his arms in front of his chest. "We have our own agenda, which you seem to be aware of."

Tseng sat for a moment as he mulled some sort of answer over his head. He met both Sephiroth's and Vincent's gazes evenly before dropping his dark amber gaze to the floor. "For once," he sounded tired and aged, which caught the other two men off guard. He sounded human for a brief moment; he recovered before continuing, "I'm not sure…" His voice trailed off as he brought his tired eyes back to them. "It all depends on how quickly you two can work."

"If we refuse?" Sephiroth ventured.

"You'll leave me no choice but to send this entire conversation to Cloud and Rufus," Tseng informed them in a near whisper, almost meek. "I don't want to do that as it's in my better interest _not_ to send it. I don't need Rufus knowing that I'm still alive; besides, who knows who else would be reviewing and analyzing this recording."

"You recorded us?" Vincent took a threatening step forward. "You're walking a very _thin _line."

Tseng nodded his agreement once more. "It's a necessary evil, unfortunately. I cannot change what I am anymore than either one of you can."

"I don't trust you," Sephiroth informed the other man bluntly. "But it seems black mail is ultimately your friend once more…" He directed his attention to Vincent. "We're going to have to cooperate with him for the time being. Keep an eye on him; I need to go to talk to someone. You know how to get ahold of me if you need to."

Vincent nodded, understanding immediately. He silently relished in the perplexed look that momentarily flitted across Tseng's stone mask. "That's fine… I'm capable of keeping just as good an eye on him as he seems to be able to keep on us."

Sephiroth snorted. "You Turks are all the same…" He sent an icy look Tseng's way. "Your cooperation is mandatory here, _Director_. You'll respect our privacy if you aren't included in the conversation, and I would watch where you tread. I will mercilessly cause you pain if you become too much of a complication."

"I expected as much, _General_," Tseng returned curtly. "I'll mind my behaviour. You shan't need to worry; I won't become a complication. At least, not a complication to either one of you…"

Shaking his head, Sephiroth mumbled a quick good bye to Vincent before shimmying on his coat and makeshift disguise and making a bee line to the door. Tseng was fidgeting again, but Vincent noticed that he seemed to relax a bit more now that Sephiroth was gone. A dark chuckle left Vincent's lips, which earned him a sharp look.

"I still have some questions, Tseng…" Vincent murmured.

"I had a feeling that you might," Tseng sighed as he stood. "But it might be easier to explain if we went to where I've been holing myself up for several months; it'll make information more accessible to both of us, and you'll believe my answers a bit more."

Shrugging, Vincent agreed to the ex-director's plan. It was better than sitting here twiddle his thumbs while he pretended to look for Sephiroth. He followed Tseng from the building and out onto the streets of Junon.


	8. Chapter 8

A/N:  
>Okay, so there is A LOT of information is this chapter. And I really should have made this chapter longer than it is, but I decided against that. So it's getting broken up into two parts. I think you'll understand whenever you near the end what I'm talking about. But I like this chapter a lot~ So enjoy!<p>

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><p>Tseng led Vincent through the maze of alleys and backstreets that was Junon. The pattern the ex-director took through the streets was completely lost on Vincent, but Tseng seemed to be walking as if he had known this route his entire life. When they finally stopped in front of a great dilapidated office building, Vincent cocked an eyebrow but did not turn to Tseng.<p>

Tseng eyed Vincent's concealed expression as best he could using only his peripheral vision. The man coaxed a mysterious smile out of his few expressions whenever he successfully read the other's face. "It's more secure than it looks," he assured Vincent. "Despite its dilapidated exterior, I can assure you that there is more technology within its walls than what was present in nearly the entire Shin-Ra headquarters."

Vincent shot Tseng a skeptical look. He was not about to believe that until he actually saw it firsthand. Nonetheless, he took in what the exterior of the building looked like a bit more thoroughly after Tseng had shared his sentiment.

At first glance, the building looked abandoned. Windows on upper floors had their bars knocked out and panes broken into pieces. The windows on the first floor were all smashed in, and there wasn't a single door in sight that was still in its proper place. That's when Vincent started to notice the subtle details Tseng had just been boasting.

There were small motion-sensor activated cameras that Vincent's enhanced eyes picked out among the rubble and in some of the windows. If someone were not scrutinizing _or_ if they didn't have the enhanced eyesight, they would have been caught on camera and never even known. He also noted the more obvious cameras, which were clearly decoys—or were they used for some other purpose, Vincent wondered.

Tseng ushered the man inside as he had become exceedingly uncomfortable in the midday sun. Vincent offered no complaint and followed the man over the thresh of the building. "Motion-sensor cameras," Vincent murmured when they were safely inside. "That's very clever; extremely well placed, I might add."

"Thank you," Tseng bowed a little bit at the compliment as if that had been his intention from the start before he began leading Vincent through his own labyrinth. "I was trying to make them look as inconspicuous as I possibly could. I think I did fairly well given the playing cards I had been dealt. No one aside from you has noticed them yet."

Vincent nodded his head gently, knowingly. He had spent years spotting other's carefully placed traps, but that did not stop him from wondering why Tseng seemed to be leading him back to the main corridor and then would suddenly turn off again. Vincent concluded that some of the flooring was unstable until he turned around to see if his suspicions were correct.

Vincent could pick out the very well placed trip-wires and auto turrets rigged down the length of a hall. The auto turrets likely responded to heat signatures, and the trip-wires seemed to be hooked up to grenades—_Or were they flash bangs,_ Vincent wondered. He thought he spotted an incendiary grenade closer to one of the main walkways Tseng was using.

Tseng came to a halt in front of the elevator shaft which was just two lengths of hall from the front door. He seemed to know Vincent had been picking through his handy work, and he let the smallest of smiles come across his face as he punched in a code to summon the elevator. "Well?" He inquired gently. "Do you have a bit more faith in its security now?"

Vincent nodded sharply once and rolled his eyes when he was sure that the other man wasn't looking. The elevator arrived in no time flat, and the two men stepped on board. Tseng entered in another few numbers. They began their plummet towards the bowels of the building the next moment.

The elevator stopped at its assigned destination. Vincent made move to step out but was stopped by Tseng who had grabbed onto him sharply. Vincent sent a leveling glare his way.

"Wait a moment," Tseng ordered. "If you step out right away, you'll blow us both to kingdom come; there's an entire minefield that has to be deactivated by a computer signal."

"And would you care to do that?" Vincent growled, a little bit annoyed that the man hadn't said anything on their way down about their presence.

Tseng rolled his eyes at the older man. "You were just scrutinizing my upstairs hallways, yet it never occurred to you that there might be something a bit more destructive at the end of the only way to get into my sanctum?" He mocked. "No matter, another few seconds and the mines will deactivate and we will be able to continue on our journey."

True to his word, a computer signal went off. Tseng pushed Vincent into the hallway, and as they didn't blow up, Vincent felt that the noise had been the warning that they had been deactivated. They bustled down a hall before another noise went off; the mines had been reactivated. Vincent had to hand it to Tseng this time. He was probably the only person paranoid—or clever—enough to set up such an intricate trap and not be killed in the process.

Tseng repeated the same method that he had used to navigate the upper level. This path seemed to take longer as there were more traps or motion activated atrocities waiting for the unknowing person. Vincent had decided about half way through their trek to a great metal door that Tseng was his own breed of insane. _No one_ goes through this many lengths to keep pursuers out.

The great metal bulwark of a door now stood between them and Tseng's sanctum. The metal was blast resistant and didn't seem like it would easily be opened. Tseng extracted a key card from one of the interior pockets on his jacket, flipped open the removable part of the handle, and swiped it across. The door released a small buzzing sound, declaring it open. Tseng turned the handle and pushed the door wide; Vincent stepped in with Tseng close behind. As the door shut, Tseng turned on the lights.

It took Vincent a moment to take in the entire contents of the room. A small bed was set up against the far wall near where Tseng had clearly made a kitchen; that was the only "personal" space the room seemed to offer. There was another door close to the bed, which Vincent surmised was either a closet or a bathroom. The rest of the room was dominated by technology and a great detective's web. A row of computers set up in a semi-circle blocked out a considerable portion of the lower web while a stack of books and files clocked out an entire corner. There was also a work bench with a dismantled sniper rifle and a few handguns and ammo lay across it in a rather neat order. In light of the web that spanned the length of a wall, floor to ceiling, everything else in the room seemed a bit lackluster.

"I see you weren't lazy while you were 'dead,'" Vincent's voice would have smiled if it could.

Tseng shrugged. "Unfortunately, that web is only the tip of the iceberg. It goes far deeper than that…"

"It's not complete, then," Vincent began making his way over to the wall, mindful not to step on anything that might be important.

Tseng followed him and offered him a pillow to sit on while he remained standing. Vincent accepted the pillow and settled in. Tseng removed his jacket before he began speaking.

"As you guessed, this web is not entirely complete… I would like it if you would let me explain everything before you ask me questions as some questions I haven't even been able to answer myself." Tseng cleared his throat and went on, "This entire thing started whenever I was still working for Rufus. He had asked me to research a few things on an up-and-coming business man, whom Rufus wasn't sure he could trust… I digress; I did some digging and found a lot more than I had originally bargained for. Rufus, however, would hear none of it; it was beyond what he had told me to do, and he would only accept what he felt was pertinent. As a result, I was driven mad with the desire to know exactly what this whole cartel was about. During my research, a few names kept coming up; and they were always, _always_ in the same order: Smith, Corneo, Rhapsodos.

"Smith was probably the most interesting one to research for me. Dempsey Smith is a scientist who bases his work out of Wutai and is most renowned for his attempts to recreate some of Hojo's experiments." Tseng indicated the photo of a greasy looking scientist that easily fell into the stereotypically 'mad scientist' genre. "Hojo always ranted and raved about this man always trying to steal his glory, and at first, I thought it was completely insignificant until I started listening a bit more closely to what Hojo was claiming. Although Hojo was a paranoid lunatic, there was some merit to what he had to say in Smith's case. The short version is Smith had managed to do something that Hojo could not do with half the funding that Hojo had. I could never get Hojo to tell me what Smith had done that he couldn't do so I researched that on my own accord as well.

"The emperor was funding Smith during the period after the war when Wutai seemed to be at peace. Using the very limited funding, Smith had managed to create _perfect_ clones. He could model them to be any age or intelligence as long as there was a picture and someone to recount how they did in school or at their place of work. The first successful attempt which lived longer than a few seconds was of Smith's high school sweetheart; he used a lock of her hair which he had kept in a locket around his neck.

"In addition to this, Smith also landed some pretty pricy Cetric artifacts through some trades with a group that specializes in the theft of historical artifacts and other things of interest. I did some research and found they were affiliated with the Corneo that kept popping up.

"As you can imagine, at first I thought the Corneo being mentioned was the Don. Clearly, that would be impossible in more recent times as the Don isn't exactly around anymore. After some more digging, I found that it was a reference to Otto, the Don's nephew." Tseng pointed to a photo of a man with an eerie resemblance to the Don but was nowhere near as heavy set. "Otto shared some of his uncle's past times, and because of that, I was able to track his movements based on which brothel or bar he spent large sums of gil. He also is responsible from some illegal drug trade taking place in some of the slums in Wutai and previously in the Midgar slums. Outwardly, he was just your average drug lord; however, that was only a guise. He was truly the head of the group of pirates I had mentioned earlier.

"For your sake, I'll skim over some highlights on Genesis. Genesis Rhapsodos, as Sephiroth may have mentioned, was in SOLDIER First Class at the same time as Sephiroth and Zack Fair. He was one of the two commanders in SOLDIER underneath Sephiroth, Angeal Hewley being the other. All three were extremely close friends for a while before jealousy of Sephiroth on Genesis's part made some things turn a bit sour. Genesis was also an avid reader and fan of Loveless and was known to quote from the literary work ad nauseum." Tseng nodded towards the red head in the photo next to Corneo's.

"It took me a considerable amount of time to figure out how Genesis came into play in this whole scheme of things. I watched hours upon hours of footage trying to come up on some sort of lead as to how he knew either Corneo or Smith; I still haven't the faintest clue on that as of yet. However, I did find out what he does for them. He is currently working for them as a sort of body guard, and I found out a few reasons to believe that he is also allowing himself to be used a sort of test subject for them. It went against my reasoning; after all, why would you want to be poked and prodded by another madman after you escaped the clutches of _two_ who worked for your former employer?

"That answer came naturally enough; he still wants to best Sephiroth—'become the new hero.' This is why Sephiroth _absolutely cannot_ meet up with Genesis. Sephiroth might harbor no ill will against his old friend and is just seeking to make amends for whatever thing he may have done, but Genesis could not be further opposite."

Tseng paused in his dissertation and looked a little bit downcast as if he feared what would happen if the two ex-SOLDIERs were to meet up. Vincent took that as a cue to ask a handful of questions.

"So, essentially, you think that Genesis will attempt to kill Sephiroth?" Vincent inquired and received a confirming nod. "Alright… How do Smith and Corneo know each other?"

"I don't think that they've ever actually met face-to-face," Tseng shrugged. "I know they have corresponded via telephone and email. It's typically business related, and they use a coded jargon to keep anyone from tapping into their conversation. I was able to crack a little bit of it after a few string of events happened." Tseng twanged a yellow string.

"And you're positive you have made no exterior connections to Genesis with either one of those two?"

"As I said, I haven't figured out how he came into contact with either one of them. I would assume he came into contact with Smith first… Perhaps you'll have a little bit more insight in that area than me. How he met them wasn't important at the time, and I might have unintentionally over looked something. I'm still going back and retracting my steps for any loose straws I missed on my initial investigation."

Vincent nodded; he had been there and done that on more than one occasion. "I have no further questions. Continue."

Tseng obliged. "Right, we'll start with the yellow string as I already mentioned it. As I said, Corneo and Smith converse in a coded jargon. It's mostly for illegal dealings of the Cetric artifacts, and those were the parts that I've been able to decode." He pointed a small list tacked underneath a reference to a recording which was likely on one of his many computers. "However, I feel some of their more weighted conversations have something to do with the research that Smith is conducting. Based on the files and anxiousness present in Smith's tone, I've concluded that he's on the verge of some sort of extreme breakthrough in perfecting what Hojo could not. At first I was grateful he had no access to Jenova cells, I quickly realized I had been mistaken. Genesis also had some of those cells injected into him, but they were not as saturated as the other cells Hollander had injected. Anyone with knowledge of the particular strand of DNA in the Jenova cells would easily be able to pull it out.

"I've figured out that 'dinner' in the jargon is code for Smith's experiment. 'Loveless' is a reference to Genesis, and that was probably the most clichéd codename they could have possibly come up with for him; anyone that knew or spoke _once_ with Genesis knew about his obsession. Outside of those two things, I've been able to crack nothing in relation to the experiment that Smith has been working on."

Vincent's eyes glossed over the list of cracked code-words Tseng indicated. Some were followed with question marks as if they were meaning to be confirmed yet. He frowned. "It's a clever way to communicate as long as neither one of them slips up… I think we should review some of the audio clips after you're done explaining the rest of this web. Perhaps I can pick something up." He straightened up his back a little bit. "Continue."

Tseng twanged a blue thread next. "This string indicates the missing Cetric artifacts and other items of extreme historical importance. Most of this is done by Corneo's gang, and I've only been able to ping a handful of objects thus far. Most of these objects are from abandoned temple sites and the occasional museum break-in. Among some of the items are two tablets both written in Cetric and both containing prophecies, or so the archeologists and anthropologists believe." The picture of the tablets was right below some field notes Tseng had printed out. "I personally am a little skeptical of the prophecy aspect as I don't think they would have fetched as high a price in the black market if they were truly telling of doomsday.

"Rather, I think that these two tablets contain maps to the locations of other beings similar to Jenova—and if it's not a stretch, similar to Chaos as well. The Cetra would want to keep tabs on these beings to make sure that they were not out harming the Planet further; it's hardly surprising that such tablets exist. It _is _surprising where the tablets were found. The Great Northern Cave hosted both of these objects according to the field notes from one apprentice present on the expedition; keep in mind, these people were up there long before Shin-Ra's war in Wutai so this was back before Sephiroth and Genesis were even into adulthood.

"Why those tables were hidden in the Great Northern Cave is lost on me. I can assume that it was a far, out-of-reach place for the Cetra and humans at the time since they were lacking in the technological field at the time these tablets were created. Yet there's something nagging about it at the same time; I can't place it though. It is _too_ coincidental for my liking.

"In addition to the tablets, there was the keystone to the Temple of the Ancients. I'm sure you were there whenever it came into AVALANCHE's possession. That was sold to Dio of the Gold Saucer from Corneo's gang. There was also a handful of old Cetric weapons, which were sold out to private collectors. As you can see, I visited these collectors who were more than willing to let me see their collection of weapons and other historical memorabilia." He pointed to pictures of four very distinct weapons. "I feel that there is more in circulation from Corneo's gang and even more still up for grabs on the black market, but I can't be certain what's what and what Reeve has put up as bait to catch people."

"Do you think the weapons have any significance?"

"I do, and I don't at that same time. Cetra were fascinating people, and their weapons are no different. Whether or not they correspond with the tablets is a mystery to me. I'm no archeologist so I don't know what I'm looking at in that respect from a hole in the wall."

Vincent got up to get a better look at the weapons. None of them were really familiar to him, but they _were_ interesting to look at. He noticed two of the weapons with blades had inscriptions along the sharpened edge. "Did you notice the inscriptions on the bladed weapons whenever you were taking the pictures?"

"I did. I copied them down," Tseng tapped a piece of paper next to the picture of the keystone. "I did my best to translate them, but some of the inscription had worn away due to the weapon's age. I think that they may predate the tablets."

"Have you seen the tablets at all?"

Tseng shook his head. "I haven't laid eyes on them. I tried to contact their owners, but both outright refused my offer."

"And you didn't push the issue?"

"I'm supposed to be dead, remember? I can't go stirring up a fuss in some of the richer portions of the world. Someone will notice me, and then Rufus will find out. Game over."

Vincent let out a small chuckle. "I get the gist of what you are saying about all these artifacts and how they're important. I want to know something though that's a bit more pressing. How do you fit into all of this?" He made a sweeping motion indicating the entire web.

"I made a mistake," Tseng mumbled. "While I was out snooping around in one of the historical sites, _someone_ saw me. That someone was Genesis… I think he knew what I was doing there, although I'm not sure if he recognized me or not. What I do know is that he _followed_ me all the way back here. I lost him in the market section where my presence would be lost amongst all the others there."

"_He's here in Junon_?" Vincent demanded.

Tseng merely nodded as his face took on a slightly horrified expression. Vincent felt his heart sink. This was probably the worst news Tseng had relayed yet…


	9. Chapter 9

A/N:  
>I'M SO SORRY FOR THE LACK OF UPDATE AGAIN. I've been going through a lot in the past two weeks (which really focused around Valentine's Day, but let's not get into that). I also apologize in advance for the silliness that is the end of this chapter. I couldn't help but through in a little humour. I feel like all I've been is doom and gloom lately. Anyway, enjoy! Oh, and Sephiroth will be back next chapter. lol<p>

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><p>Tseng took a full step back from Vincent as if he wasn't sure how the man would react in the next moment. His mask was back in place whenever he finally met Vincent's gaze again. "I <em>know<em> he didn't make it back here, and he hasn't been anywhere near this place." He gestured to his many computers. "An alert would have gone off, and/or he would have been caught on video."

Vincent relaxed, realizing the man was right, but a deep frown was etched onto his features behind the cloak. "Do not leave anything else out… Explain the rest of this to me."

Tseng obeyed the order mechanically. Deciding that the science aspect would be the next best thing to cover, he began giving a brief review of Smith's work. He glossed over the beginning of the man's work but stressed how he had been duplicating Hojo's projects. The ex-director rambled on about the different aspects and possibilities of the experiments; all the while, Vincent didn't say even a word.

As if a robot, when the explanation of the science portion was concluded, he continued to go over various forms of smuggling and other gang related activities that Corneo was formerly and presently involved in. Highlights included drug trafficking and illegal smuggling of arms on the black market. Vincent questioned how Tseng knew about the latter since most dealers kept only written logs and nothing on a computer, but he doubted he would get an answer; the man was an ex-Turk himself after all…

Tseng finished his robotic explanation of the remaining material and turned a soulless gaze to Vincent whose frown had grown increasingly more apparent with each passing sentence. The latter let out a breath and took the look as a sort of cue to begin questioning. "You kept mentioning DNA samples whenever you were referring to Smith's work with cloning… Do you have images or files of it?"

Tseng nodded. He pointed to a computer, and Vincent adjusted himself accordingly. Tseng took up a patch of floor next to the man and began typing in the passcodes to unlock the computer and program. Two models of DNA were on the screen in front of the two men in less than thirty seconds.

"I don't have much of a scientific background, and I only know what I've read from the experiments and data logs…" The ex-director explained as he flipped through a note book he kept near his computers. "I can only get so much out of something like this, but I did notice a little bit of similarities in the two samples.

"If you look along the left side here, the same pattern is repeated in the second sample in the same spots. The lower right portion on both is the same… I assumed that most of the differences in the DNA were because they were taken from two different people."

"That's a correct assumption," Vincent confirmed. His eyes glossed over the patterns Tseng had mentioned. He sat in silence for a moment more before he found another similarity. "Look here…" He indicated two tiers with near identical formations. "That's identical..."

Tseng zoomed in the two samples of DNA to the two points Vincent had commented on. "I have to admit; I would not mind having the enhanced vision you have…" He mumbled, but Vincent opted to ignore the man. "All the same, that's right in the center of the differences, and none of the surrounding tiers are similar in any way… I wonder…"

Vincent sent the man a questioning look as he rose and began sifting through his enormous pile of printed documents. A few minutes passed before Tseng returned clutching a file. The man extracted a piece of paper from it and scanned it onto his computer. Vincent mutely watched as the man worked. Tseng brought the new scan next to the two strands of DNA.

"This is taken from one of Hollander's files on Genesis," Tseng explained as he quickly transformed the new DNA strand into a three dimensional model. "This was before the degradation took place, but it should still serve its purpose."

"Degradation?" Vincent questioned. "I'm not wholly familiar with the concept…"

"Essentially," Tseng began, "it's when a body succumbs to the J-cells present in its system. Well, that's the gist of it anyway." The man shrugged.

Vincent nodded and directed his attention back to the screen before him. "The second and third are near identical… Is the second one from Genesis as well?" He saw Tseng give an affirmative nod from his peripherals. "Very few differences… Do you have a breakdown of Genesis's DNA from Hollander's files?"

"Yes," Tseng pulled another slip of paper from the file. "As you mentioned that the first two have the same two tiers here… The third has it in the _exact_ spot as well… Hm…"

Vincent took the paper from Tseng and glanced over it quickly. He found what he was looking for and glanced between it and the three strands on screen. "I think those are J-cells…" He stated in a small voice.

"That could be problematic…" Tseng grimaced. He switched to a different program and brought the first strand of DNA up in it. "This is a sample taken from Smith's research over a year ago. One of his apprentices stole some work from him, and this wound up on the black market to the highest bidder… I digress; this program shows a concentration of mako and anything else that you might want to see with the filter." He switched a few things in the side bar which brought out the two tiers they had been discussing into greater light. His expression darkened considerably. "This is strange…"

"What is?" Vincent inquired as he looked the DNA over.

"It's different from the concentration in the more recent sample from Genesis…" Tseng mumbled. "I don't understand how that could be… Even if he were able to pump the other full of mako, it still wouldn't have _this_ high of a concentration and be able to survive… The cells would die."

"Hypothetically speaking, Tseng, there are other forms of the Lifestream. Perhaps, he pulled mako from one of the others; perhaps, that form of mako isn't as harmful to the body…"

Tseng ran a hand over his face, and his age became far more real to Vincent than it had up until that point. The latter decided Tseng had far too much stress placed on him than was probably necessary. "If that's the case," Tseng whispered, "then this problem just became a gigantic mess… The only way for us to know for sure is to get our hands on his more recent files and samples."

"Breaking into his laboratory is out of the question," Vincent shot down. "There's no way either one of us is going to have the _time_ to do something of that magnitude."

The two men leaned away from the screen. Tseng rested back on his hands and shook his head. "I don't even know where his laboratory is to even begin to attempt that," He admitted. "I think we may be able to get our hands on the information without having an actual hard copy of the files, which doesn't exactly thrill me; but I'll make due…"

Vincent's slender eyebrow went out as he turned towards the man. "You're a hacker too? Is there anything you can't do?"

Tseng snorted. "Don't sound so surprised, Vincent. It's just one of those skills I picked up after a while. Veld actually encouraged me to do so…"

"That doesn't surprise me…" Vincent shrugged. "He tried to get me to do the same thing before I took up being Lucrecia's body guard…" His voice trailed off, and he was almost certain he saw Tseng shudder. Sighing, Vincent stood. "I need to get to work on my own 'assignment.' I will leave you to your web…"

"Before you go," Tseng rose and went to his workbench. He grabbed a device from behind on of the parts of the dismantled sniper rifle. He tossed it to Vincent. "It's a communicator. It's encrypted and passcoded… I did it all myself so I know who has the passcodes. In addition, it's 'based' out of Wutai so I doubt very much someone is going to pick up on its signal here."

Vincent slipped the device over his ear. "In short, safer than calling…" He mumbled.

"The device can also record conversations and run them back to one of my computers here. If you get a phone call, push the center button on the headset once and it will mute the device on your end so your conversation won't be recorded."

"Clever… You must have a smaller version of this."

Tseng turned his head and pulled his hair up above his ear. Vincent made out Tseng's headset and noticed the man had the smallest smile on his lips. "It's a handy thing," He remarked as he let his hair fall. "I was able to mimic my skin tone and a popular piece of woman's jewelry to make my communicator nearly invisible from the front and side." He let out the smallest laugh. "I've had a bit too much time on my hands… It makes recording video much easier too. I don't have to rely on the horrendous audio quality of the camcorder… I'll walk you to the exit."

As the two men left Tseng's sanctum, neither man exchanged a word. Both were lost in their own thoughts until they were halfway through the maze on the first floor. Vincent froze in place and stopped Tseng. A hostile presence pushed on Vincent from all sides. Seeing Tseng's questioning look, he shook his head and held up one finger.

Once capable of speech, Vincent let out a breath. "There's someone here that's extremely angry… I can feel it, and I have a feeling they're looking for one or both of us."

He saw Tseng's face darken as he shook his head. "This isn't good…" The ex-director grumbled. "There's a staircase two hall ways down. Don't worry; there aren't any traps that way. Take it and follow the green tape. I'm going to go get things cleaned up as much as I can."

The two split ways. Vincent watched Tseng disappear at a jog. He turned his attention back to his task now at hand. He nearly flew down the two hallways and up the stair case. A window at the top of the stair case caused him to pause.

Vincent could clearly make out twenty unmarked men in uniform and another man who was none other than Genesis Rhapsodos. He ducked down as Genesis had just turned his attention to where Vincent's form had been less than a split second before. "Tseng, you'd better hurry… Genesis doesn't look pleased," He relayed to the other man as he sprinted down the hall, following the green tape as advised.

A string of Wutain curses filled Vincent's ear. "Shit…" Tseng's voice finally swore in English. "Naturally, I was getting too complacent…"

"Hush and pack…" Vincent advised. "I need to be able to hear if anything is going to happen…"

Vincent reached the end of the tape trail and was rewarded with a vantage point that allowed him to see the whole courtyard below him while keeping him hidden from his enemies. He peered very carefully over the sill of one of the broken windows. The group of men was taking their time crossing the courtyard below him. He concluded Genesis suspected some sort of treachery without while the real treachery lay _within_.

Instincts began to take over as the men slowly neared the entrance to the building. Death Penalty was loaded and situated comfortably in Vincent's grasp. Tseng must have heard the gun cock as his voice was over the communicator less than a moment later. "Wait, don't fire yet," He told the gunman. "They need to cross the middle section of the courtyard, or they'll be able to see you… Once there, give yourself a minute to take down as many as you can before you make for the stairs. Once you're at the stairs, tell me, and I'll get you down to the lower level in one piece."

"Understood, Director," Vincent mumbled. "Thank you for the head's up."

He heard Tseng snort, but the man said nothing on the mockery, which let Vincent focus more intently on the group before him. It took them four minutes to cross to the center of the courtyard. The first man fell before the rest of the group even knew what was happening. Another man hit the concrete beneath him as the gunfire finally sank into the rest of the group. Forty-two seconds to go.

Vincent ducked back down as the group took up their combat positions. He half-ran, half-crouched down a length of the hall to another window. He unleashed three more bullets into the crowd of men, taking down two and fatally wounding another. He heard Genesis issue an order. Twenty-nine seconds.

Vincent was down the hallway and at the window above the stairs. In no time, six more men joined the fallen. Genesis now knew exactly where he was. Vincent watched the man's eyes narrow as a fireball was flung in his direction. The ex-Turk was down half the stairs before it even impacted the upstairs wall. Zero seconds.

"I'm on the stairs," Vincent told Tseng.

The man directed him quickly through the upper level. He had successfully made it to the elevator and entered in the override code to call it up to the upper floor as Genesis's men rounded into the building. The elevator doors slid closed as the first serious of traps went off. The elevator doors opened again, and Vincent followed Tseng's instruction once more.

Vincent crossed the thresh of Tseng's sanctum once more and was astonished to see the place was nearly bare. "How—''

"It's complicated…" Tseng interrupted hurriedly. "Just pack my guns up. We have less than five minutes to get this all done."

They hustled and bustled, and in less than five minutes, they had all of Tseng's equipment and web completely packed. All of it surprisingly fit into three large trunks, which the ex-director already had on a cart. They had time to take a breath before another explosion went off.

Tseng frowned, and Vincent crossed his arms. "Where do we get out of here?"

"There's a false wall…" Tseng mumbled. The man then opened up and grabbed his cart. "I don't care what you do, but I'm not going to be staying in Junon any longer. Keep the communicator; you'll still be able to get into contact with me that way."

"I have a better plan…" Vincent interceded as they began the trek down the long dark corridor. "Put your gear and paraphernalia in my plane, and lie low for a little while. We'll head out of here together. It'll be safer."

Tseng considered it and reluctantly agreed as they rounded a corner. "I don't know if that's the best plan… But I don't have much choice right now. I don't think I could get away with taking three trunks, most of which are full of equipment, onto a boat or plane. What are you going to do?"

"I need to canvas this place if I want Cloud off my case… But if I tell him that Genesis is still around, we may have the distraction we need."

"He would go after Genesis?"

"I don't think he would go after, but I do think that he would be willing to dig more deeply into the subject than he had before. The man is so hopelessly stuck on Sephiroth that I think he over looked a considerably bigger threat…"

"I assume that has something to do with Genesis's ability to hold grudges," Tseng surmised. "I'm not shocked though… But does Genesis even know about Cloud's existence?"

"Cloud has never mentioned him, but I don't know if he tunes a lot out…"

They reached a door. Vincent propped the door open ever so slightly and nodded to Tseng to indicate the coast was clear. Both ex-Turks appeared in a neighbouring alley to the building. They disappeared around a corner as a series of explosions banged loudly in the air.

"What the hell did you rig that place with?"

"C4, but I have a feeling that Genesis made that explosion bigger than it needed to be," Tseng shrugged indifferently.

The two ex-Turks safely navigated the back streets of Junon and arrived at the still-busy harbor. They loaded Tseng's equipment in silence. Today was turning out to be a lot longer of a day than either man had anticipated.

After everything was safely on board, Tseng turned to Vincent. "You need to tell _him_ about this…"

"I know I do, but right now, I think we need to get you off the streets… There's no need to leave Genesis leads as to where you've gone."

"Fair enough… I think I know how to make myself disappear if you don't mind going into a clothing store…"

Vincent eyed the man suspiciously. "You're going to dress like a woman?"

"It worked for Cloud; it can work for me."

"Wait, what?" Vincent shot in disbelief. "They didn't tell me about that."

Tseng laughed lightly, and Vincent was surprised that it was an honest, mirth-filled laugh despite its airiness. "I don't think that's something Cloud is too keen on admitting." The man shrugged. "I hardly care, however. It'll be like wearing a yukata or hakama, I suppose."

Vincent gave Tseng that point and went on wondering why on the Planet Cloud would need to cross dress. He followed Tseng in a sort of daze through the busy streets. Tseng stopped in front of a clothing store and looked thoughtful.

"Well, let's get this over with…" Tseng sighed.

"You need a cover story…"

"I'm way ahead of you," Tseng replied as he opened the door.

The two men walked into the boutique, and the two women working the sale's counter were extremely shocked to see one man dressed in a suit while the other man with him was a bit disheveled looking. They exchanged apprehensive glances while both men ignored them.

"Can we help you sirs?" One of the women asked in an overly feminine voice.

"Hm… Yes, you can," Tseng replied as he pretended to be interested in a garment hanging on the wall. "I need something for my date to wear later on tonight, and no, it's not for the man with me. He's merely keeping me company."

"What sort of outfit were you looking at?"

"Something breathable, preferably light material, dark in colour," Tseng listed off as he still continued to look around the store.

"Nothing too tight then?" The woman asked with a small laugh.

A humourless smile surfaced on Tseng's face. "Nothing too tight… She's for my eyes, not others."

"Of course!" Another laugh. "Here, come this way. We keep that sort of thing over here."

Vincent watched Tseng roll his eyes as he followed the saleswoman. He moved from the door and came to hover behind Tseng to make it seem like he was actually helping the man shop as Tseng had implied. His eyes flittered over the clothing, and he felt himself grin inside whenever he eyed a particular dress.

"I think you should get the shiny, vinyl one," Vincent mumbled so only Tseng could hear him.

Vincent would have laughed at the petrified look Tseng gave him if his self-control hadn't gotten the better of him at that moment and returned his face to an unreadable mask. "Only if you wear the obnoxious pink short skirt and tube top," Tseng fired back.

"It would clash with my armour," Vincent tutted.

Tseng rolled his eyes but said nothing more on the subject. He finally decided on a simple dress that mirrored a chang pao to some degree. There were more flowers on it than he cared for, and he let the woman behind the counter know before both men left. Vincent let a grin work onto his face.

"As much as I hate to admit this, I'm actually going to be entertained by what you come with," he admitted to Tseng.

"Hush," Tseng advised. "Or I will dress you up right along with me. I know how to make scars disappear using make-up, just so you're aware."

Sensing the threat, Vincent closed his mouth but still grinned at the man behind his cloak. They were back in Vincent's rented hotel room in no time. Tseng clearly had another plan for the man. "You're going to go get make-up for your smart mouth comment earlier," he told the man. "I don't care how you do it, but you're doing it."

Vincent stared at the man. "I'm not setting foot in one of those places."

"Perhaps you should find someone who will then…"


	10. Chapter 10

A/N:  
>If some of this, doesn't make sense, I apologize. I'm slightly delirious because I'm sick... But I did my best. I was inspired so yeah, this is a longer one. Enjoy~<p>

* * *

><p>Vincent stared incredulously at Tseng as the man distastefully tossed the dress onto the bed beside him. "Who am I supposed to ask that will willingly go into one of those stores?"<p>

"You're intimidating when you want to be," Tseng shrugged as he began undoing his tie. "I'm sure there's some hopeless woman that would be willing to do something for you."

Vincent scowled at Tseng as the tie was neatly folded and set next to the dress on the bed. "I'm almost positive it would be just as easy for you to do this."

Tseng turned back to Vincent as he started to unbutton his suit jacket. "Here are your options: you can either stay here and watch me undress _or_ you can go buy make-up and save your _virgin_ eyes. The choice is yours."

Vincent's glare turned venomous. "I'll have you know that I'm _not_ a virgin."

Tseng's eye brow arched. "Oh? You've been with a man before?" He laughed outright. "That's somewhat shocking to me… No matter, I believe I told you to go do something." Suit jacket came off, was folded, and joined the tie on the bed. He then started in on his white shirt. "Honestly, I can't see you getting a thrill from watching me undress."

Noting that his stubbornness was getting him nowhere, Vincent turned his back to the other man with a huff. "What kind of make-up am I supposed to be getting?"

Tseng's gaze snapped to Vincent. Had he really just won this fight? A knowledgeable look crept onto his face triumphantly. "Concealer, some shade of eye shadow that matches the dress, and black eyeliner," he ticked off. "Maybe something to cover scars…"

Vincent glanced over his shoulder at the man behind him. "You don't have any noticeable scars…"

"In a suit, no, I don't. In something considerably less modest, it's an entirely different ballgame," Tseng admitted, and he fidgeted nervously with the cuffs of his dress shirt. "It's why I don't tend to wear anything less than long sleeves and pants…"

"Noted…" Vincent sighed gruffly. "I suppose I'll be back with _your_ make-up…"

Tseng waved him away. "Tut, tut, don't make too much fun of me; my threats aren't hollow you know. _And_ I'm sure Sephiroth would find it quite humourous if I managed to get you into a dress."

"Sephiroth won't find out if that happens."

Tseng smirked at the man. "Oh? How much would you like to wager?"

"I wouldn't… I'll be back," Vincent disappeared from the hotel room before the other man had a chance to retort.

The air outside the hotel was suffocating. There were people everywhere, which gave Vincent little room to move or even breath. Despite the crowd, he knew he still stood out, but he refused to do a thing about it. There wasn't any time; he needed to get this canvas done so he could get back to making sure Sephiroth wasn't trying to destroy the Planet again.

Vincent had finally shoved and ducked his way back to the market district. It was time to begin his hunt for a make-up outlet. Tseng had put him into a fine position given the task he had been assigned. How was he going to play off the need for make-up?

Finally spotting a store, Vincent skirted inside before he attracted too much attention. He stood out even more in the store than he had out on the street. The white-washed walls were blinding, and the display cases were no better. The sales clerks all turned their heads the moment he walked in. No one them seemed the least bit surprised that there was a man in gothic attire standing in their store. One clerk in particular strode right towards him completely unphased.

"How can I help you, sir?" The voice was masculine despite the overly feminine appearance and abundance of make-up. Vincent's perception of the clerk had been thrown off with the corset and _tight_ leather pants topped with a purple plaid skirt.

"I need eye shadow, concealer, and black eyeliner," Vincent relayed automatically. "And something to cover scars…"

The clerk's painted dark red lips pulled up into a smile. "First-timer?" He guessed. When Vincent nodded, he went on, "Don't worry; you're in capable hands. Is this for you?"

Vincent shook his head. "No, they're for someone else…"

"What's their skin tone like?" The clerk babbled while he beckoned Vincent to follow him. "Is it mostly clear of acne? How about their stress level? Are they under a lot of stress? Does this need to be waterproof?"

"They're Wutain…" Vincent mumbled as the clerk finally stopped in front of an eye shadow stand. "No acne to speak of, and yes, they are under a lot of stress… I hope it doesn't need to be waterproof…"

The clerk laughed. "He or she?"

"I don't think I want to tell you that," Vincent returned. "They would kill me."

"Damn right, I would kill you," Tseng's voice came over the earpiece. "And no, I don't want waterproof make-up."

Vincent did his best to hide a grin from the clerk, who wasn't paying him the least bit of attention. "So they're Wutain, huh?" The man seemed to be glancing over the darker colours of eye shadow. "Are they tan or lighter skinned?"

"Lighter," Vincent returned. "Maybe just a little bit lighter than your skin tone…"

"Hm… Did they have a colour in mind?"

"Darker…" Vincent mumbled after a moment as he recalled the dress. "Some shade of gray or black?"

The man looked thoughtful as his eyes skimmed the eye shadows again. "Why not try some of both?" He suggested as he pointed out the compacts to Vincent, who was getting more lost by the second. "This way, they'll be able to switch it up if they change their mind or if they decide you picked incorrectly."

"Sure… That works."

When Vincent made no move to touch the compact, the clerk rolled his eyes and smiled again as he grabbed one off the shelf for Vincent. "Concealer is easy enough," he babbled again as he snatched up a black eye liner pencil. "You said their skin tone was little lighter than mine, right? This one should do the trick. It will also help the make-up to last longer as it reacts to the amount oil on the skin to keep it look crisper, younger."

Vincent followed the man mechanically. He didn't say much, just a few affirmatives and a nod or two. The clerk had an eye shadow compact, concealer, and eye liner in hand when they stopped in front of what Vincent took to be scar concealer.

"What kind of scars are they looking to cover?" The clerk inquired and sent a piercing look right at Vincent. "The concealer will cover scars on their face and neck so if it's needed for that…"

"No," Vincent shook his head. "I would assume it's their legs and arms… I haven't ever seen them to know for sure."

"You're buying for someone you don't know?" The clerk sounded shocked.

"No, I know them, but I've never seen them undressed so I'm not sure where the scarring is," Vincent did a mental eye roll.

"Oh! I almost had a heart attack whenever you said that," The clerk laughed in an air-headed sort of way. "But that makes so much more sense! No matter, this should be able to cover any scarring as long as the scars aren't extremely dark."

After paying for the make-up, Vincent nearly ran out of the store to escape from the clerk. He returned back into the suffocating body of people and raced back to the hotel room. All the while, he hadn't noticed that Genesis had been watching him from a high rise.

Vincent entered the hotel room and practically threw the bag as hard as he could at the laughing Tseng who was sitting on the bed. "I'm glad you thought it was funny!" He snapped.

Tseng caught the bag nonchalantly and flashed him a grin. "It was funny," Tseng returned. "Honestly, I thought you were going to combust a few times there, especially whenever he started babbling about how you would look if you wore make-up while he was ringing you out." He riffled the bag. "You did a good job of letting him spend your money… This is all extremely high-end make-up."

"You act like I spend my money every waking moment of my life…" Vincent growled as he finally noticed that Tseng was wearing the dress, tights, and a pair of sandals. "Where did you conjure the tights and sandals?"

"Hm?" Tseng mumbled as he looked up from reading the scar concealer directions. "Oh, right, both are from whenever I was dressing up for the Wutain equivalent for Halloween one year… Needless to say, I lost a bet to one of my friends, and I never discarded them since one never knows whenever things like this would come in handy." He shrugged and sauntered back into the bathroom. "You should do something about your own outfit… You stick out like a sore thumb."

"No," Vincent grumbled.

"At least take the cloak off then," Tseng pointed out as he rolled his eyes in the mirror. "You won't stand out as much then…"

"I'm not going to be leaving my gun behind…"

"I didn't say you had to. I don't know if you noticed or not, but there were a lot of people with their holsters hanging from their hip so I doubt very much anyone is going to say anything to you." The man started to line his eyes.

Vincent came to stand at the thresh to the bathroom and watched Tseng put on his make-up. "You've done this before?"

"A few times," Tseng mumbled. "But really, it's no different from painting, which I used to do quite frequently whenever I was growing up. Plus, Wutain writing is typically done in calligraphy in a much similar kohl and pencil."

Vincent said no more on the subject and allowed the man to finish in silence. He only spoke up whenever Tseng opened the scar concealer. "Where do you have scarring? I don't see any on your arms or legs…"

Tseng paused and looked at Vincent in the mirror. A strangled breath escaped his lips as he turned to the man and exposed his forearms. "Wutai and the Turks haven't been kind to me," He informed the man as he turned back around and started applying the concealer at his wrists, working his way up. "I'm surprised some of these have faded…"

Vincent backed out of the bathroom and let the man have some space. "I'm going to call Sephiroth before we get started."

"Alright…" Tseng's voice came just before the bathroom door shut.

Vincent pulled out his phone and dialed Sephiroth.

"I wasn't expecting to hear from you so soon," Sephiroth's voice chimed in over the phone as the man answered on the second ring. "Did something happen?"

"Yes, something did happen," Vincent concurred. "It involves Genesis so I'm not sure if I want to go into too much detail over the phone."

There was silence for a few moments. "You're kidding me," Sephiroth's voice sounded deadly.

"No, I'm not kidding…" Vincent sighed. "Tseng wasn't lying whenever he said that Genesis was after him. Genesis and a gang of twenty men showed up where Tseng had holed himself up for several months with the intent to destroy him and everything that he managed to dig up."

"Knowing Tseng, that information could probably fill a library," Sephiroth growled into the phone. "Where is the ex-director now?"

"With me," Vincent replied. "I don't think I trust him enough to let him walk around on his own now… I can't tell you much, but this is much bigger than he originally led us to believe. I think it best that you count Genesis _out_ of your friend circle entirely. I doubt that any contact made with him will be friendly."

Another pause from Sephiroth. "I feared as much," He admitted. "No matter, get that canvas finished and get the Hell out of Junon. I'm sure you'll know where to find me whenever you do leave… Be careful; I don't think I could chance making another trip out there to save either of your asses."

"We're ex-Turks," Vincent reminded him. "We take care of our own; you don't need to worry. I'll let you know when we're leaving." He cut the line out as Tseng emerged from the bathroom.

The man didn't look like a man anymore; he looked like a very flat-chested woman. He sent the smallest of smiles at Vincent. "Judging from that look, I would say that the make-up did the trick," Tseng stated in his normal voice. "I really must insist you get rid of the cloak and headband for the time being… It'll make you harder to spot out in a crowd."

Vincent folded his arms over his chest and huffed. "No…"

Agitation flitted across Tseng's features. "You and Reno… There's no getting either one of you to look like normal human beings."

Vincent gave Tseng a dark look and begrudgingly took the cloak and bandana off. He didn't like being compared to Reno in any way, shape, or form; and he hoped Tseng wouldn't abuse that fact. A hair brush started to gently go through his hair. He stared up at Tseng in disbelief. "Why…are you brushing my hair?" He asked uncertainly.

"It's a mess. Why else would I brush your hair? You don't seem capable of doing so… Although, I'm not really sure why. Your arms are fully functional."

Vincent sent a leveling glare at Tseng through his bangs, but the ex-director paid him no heed. "I don't really see the need to look nice. It's not practical anymore."

"Hm… Well, no wonder you're still alone…" Tseng sat down beside Vincent and gently pulled the knots from the other's hair with the hair brush.

Vincent sat in silence while Tseng finished brushing his hair. He failed to notice that the man had pulled it up into a high ponytail without permission. Tseng flat out refused Vincent's request to wear his head band. The ex-Turk let out a huff when the ex-director finally stood up. "You need to get moving and stop squabbling about your bandana… You'll have it whenever you come back. I'll be leaving thirty minutes after you to help you look. I'll keep in touch with the communicator if I find anything."

"Stay out of trouble," Vincent advised. "I'm not sure how fast I'll be able to get to you in Genesis shows up again."

"Don't worry about me," Tseng dismissed with a wave of his hand. "I hardly look like myself… You'll be the easier of the two of us to find…_if_ he's paying attention… There is a Loveless activity going on tonight so he might be there instead of stalking the alleys."

"He stalks alleys?" Vincent snickered as he headed for the door.

"Sometimes," Tseng chuckled. "You never know who's willing to feed the little tom-cat."

Vincent sent Tseng the smallest of smiles before disappearing out in the hallway. He was down the stairs and in the lobby when he noticed something was amiss. There was a presence already following him, but he wasn't sure if it was from the outside or someone within the lobby. He exited as if nothing were bothering him no less.

"Be careful on your way out," He advised Tseng in the smallest of voices. "There's someone that's aware of our presence in the hotel, but I don't think they know who they're looking for."

"Noted, I'll keep that in mind. I doubt there will be much a problem for me though…" Tseng's voice chirped over the communicator over the sound of a keyboard clicking.

Vincent rounded the corner and nearly ran into Genesis. "Sorry," He offered up in a voice most unlike his own. "Lost in my own world and didn't see you."

Genesis's eye brow rose. "Oh, it's no problem," His aloof tone returned without the slightest suspicion. "Just watch it, next time."

"Right…" Vincent's voice sounded unnerved as he walked past the man.

"I don't think he realized it was you," Tseng's voice was already in his ear half-way down the street.

"Well, you're the one that cleaned me up…" Vincent mumbled. "But he didn't make eye contact with me, which may well be why he wasn't aware it was me. He had his nose shoved in Loveless as per usual."

Tseng laughed. "Of course… I told you there was that event tonight." He fell silent at that.

There was little to no action in the section of town Vincent was aiming towards, and he was more than alright with that. It wasn't until he neared the end of another street that he found out why. Reno and Elena were still doing their canvas, and people still had no desire to be where Turks were even if Shin-Ra had long since stopped being a dominate power. Reno looked dead at him and pulled Elena's attention to him as well. Vincent stopped in his walk and stared back at the two Turks.

"Well, well," Reno's voice drawled out. "If it isn't Vincent… How's it going, yo?"

"It's been better…" Vincent came close to whispering. "I'm a little busy tonight; I'll leave you two to your own business."

"Hold up a sec, yo," Reno stopped him as he was about to go by them. The red-head now stood in his way. "Word on the street has it that you know where Sephiroth is."

"I don't know what you're talking about _or_ who told you that, but I certainly don't. If I did, don't you think I would be there with Cloud and everyone else?"

Reno considered it, but the Turk didn't seem to buy into it. "You've got a point, yo; but I don't think I really put all of my faith in it. You always were a little off compared to the rest of them…" He moved out of Vincent's way and silently signaled something to Elena.

Vincent knew better than to walk in between two Turks and took the opportunity to walk behind the female rather than spur on Reno. The blonde just watched him pass without so much as offering a finger of resistance, which seemed to upset Reno. "He's the enemy, yo! What are you doing?"

"Reno… Let him be for right now," Elena sighed gently. "He _did_ get me away from the Remnants, remember?"

Reno was shaking his head at the blonde when Vincent rounded the next corner. He was grateful Elena had let him pass, but he wasn't sure he trusted those two to mind their own business. It was best to consult Tseng while he had the chance. "Anything that I need to know about Reno and Elena?"

"Hm… Reno's the trickier of the two of them. As long as you can get Elena talking, you can get out of anything. Reno… Reno has to be outsmarted, which shouldn't be too hard for you. Just don't underestimate him; he's intelligent despite his 'sloppy' actions and appearance… Reno will be more of a headache in an open confrontation in a 'get-away-from' sense."

"Thanks, I'll keep you posted," Vincent answered as he hopped up onto a fire escape to get to a better vantage point.

He was rewarded with a panoramic view of the city. He could make out clearly where the Loveless event was taking place, where the pleasure district was, and practically every cranny in between. The place was much bigger than he remembered, but then, it had been quite some time since he had actually looked out over the city. He left his vantage point and decided it would be more worthwhile to start on the outer rim of the city and work his way in. Turk-on-a-mission face donned over his features as he disappeared into a crowd slowly filtering towards the harbor.

Vincent stopped when he was nearly to the harbor and took to a back alley at the last second. Genesis was looking straight at him and starting towards him. "Tseng, do not come out," Vincent ordered into the communicator.

"Why? What's going on?" Tseng demanded as the sound of a keyboard once again floated over the ear piece. "I can see you. What's going on?"

"Genesis… He's in the harbor, heading my way," Vincent told the man. "Find him and tell me what he's doing."

"But that's impossible, Vincent; Genesis is at the event. I can see him on the screen there now…"

"I just _saw_ him, Tseng. My mind isn't playing tricks on me," Vincent snapped as he leapt up to another fire escape. "Just go to the harbor and humour me, please."

"Oh my God…" Tseng's voice was nearly inaudible. "How is this possible? There's nothing in his work that suggest—''

"Tseng?"

"Who are you?" Tseng's voice demanded in a very feminine way.

Vincent didn't hear the answer, but a gunshot told him Tseng hadn't liked the answer. "Whatever you do, Vincent, do _not_ come back here. I can handle things here. You deal with that Genesis… Try to get him as far away from the harbor as you can. I'll let you know when I'm clear to meet up."

"Tseng, don't kill anyone else."

"I'll avoid it if I can, but you need to remember these people are trying to kill me."

Vincent shook his head as he sprinted across a rooftop and jumped to the next one. He turned when he reached the next building and saw Genesis mimicking his actions. He frowned and slid down the next building's fire escape. People were shouting about gun shots, and Reno and Elena were in the midst of a crowd trying to root their way through the throng of people. Vincent landed in front of them.

Elena jumped back a good few feet, and Reno took a full step back. "What the hell, man? Watch it, yo," Reno snapped at Vincent.

"There's no time for this, Reno. Genesis is here."

Elena looked confused while Reno visibly blanched. "You're _kidding_, yo. Zack did away with him…"

"No, he's here…" Vincent pointed up.

Both Turks looked skyward and caught a glimpse the red-head Vincent had just been talking about. Reno's eyes widened. "Holy shit…" Reno swore as he looked back down at Vincent. "You really know how to draw unnecessary attention."

"I didn't _ask_ him to follow me," Vincent snapped. "You need to get these people inside before another incident like the other day occurs."

"Agreed…" Elena nodded in confirmation even though she still wasn't sure why Reno was getting freaked out.

"Elena, call Rufus _now_. Tell him Genesis Rhapsodos has been sighted in Junon," Reno ordered as he began working to get the people inside.

"I'll be making sure he doesn't get into anything," Vincent told the Turk as Elena picked up her phone. "You two try to keep as low a profile as possible."

Reno nodded to show he heard, and Elena thanked him before dialing her boss. Vincent sprinted off with a glance at the rooftops. Genesis was following him and leaving the two Turks alone. Good, that's exactly what he wanted. Now how to lose the ex-SOLDIER and rendezvous with Tseng? That was the next test.

"Vincent," Tseng's voice came over the communicator. "We have a pretty big problem…" More gunfire was coming over the communicator.

"Don't tell me you're pinned down," Vincent groaned as he ducked into a crowded alley where workers were talking dismally about their hard work. "I _can't_ come help you… He's chasing me."

"No, Vincent, that's not what the problem is…" Tseng returned. "I'm not pinned down at all… The problem seems to be that Rufus has been hiding some things from his people. Guess whose men are working with Otto's."

"Tseng, get out of there _now_."

"Way ahead of you… You're only hearing the aftermath of a smoke bomb…"

"Get the harbor and get my plane started up. I trust you're crafty enough to get it started without the key. I'll be there as soon as I can."

"Be careful, Vincent… I don't think they're going to be merciful if they catch you…"

"Quit talking and move it, Tseng!" Vincent snarled. "If you don't get there, then there's no point in my attempt to lose him."

Vincent heard the man huff as he rolled into the next alley way to avoid a fire ball. "And move it. He's infuriated."

"I get it!" Tseng nearly shouted through a panting voice. "I'm going as fast as I can, Vincent. There are a lot of people still out and about despite your attempt to get them inside."

Vincent rolled to avoid another fireball and found himself staring at another Genesis. His insides sank as low as the possibly could and his blood ran cold. Today was not his day at all…


	11. Chapter 11

"Well, well, well," The newly appeared Genesis purred as he looked Vincent up and down. "It seems the Turk has been taking good care of his new pet…"

The other Genesis behind Vincent said not a word as the man straightened up. Death Penalty was in his hand, and the Genesis before him examined the gun distastefully. Vincent stared back at the man passively. "I'm not the one you want," He stated simply. "Shouldn't you be putting more effort into finding Tseng?"

"That's just the thing, Vincent," the Genesis before him remarked. "_You're_ easier to find than the Turk… He's a slippery one, and to be quite frank, I don't really have time to be playing games with either one of you."

"Then be on your way."

Genesis laughed. "I don't think so; that's not how this little game works regardless of what you may want or think." He started to circle Vincent. In no time he was behind the man. "You're going to lead me right to him whether you like that or not."

Vincent didn't turn around even though he knew it probably wasn't wise to have his back to this man. If everything Tseng said was true, he was more likely to be run through from behind by this man than anyone he had encountered thus far apart from Hojo. "You'll have a time finding him…" Vincent mumbled as he glanced over his shoulder at Genesis. "Just because I'm working with him doesn't mean that you'll learn a thing from following me."

As Genesis reached out to touch the man, Vincent lurched forward and broke into a run. With a quick glance over his shoulder, he noted that only one Genesis was running after him; and it wasn't the one that had originally reached out to touch him. His eyes narrowed in thought as Tseng's voice pulled him back to reality.

"I don't know what you're up to, Vincent, but you need to hurry the hell up," Tseng's voice told him over the communicator.

"I have a little bit of a problem; now is not a good time."

"I have a bigger problem… I have no way of getting to your plane without attracting attention to myself from some of Otto's men."

"That's wonderful, Tseng…"

"Don't you start," Tseng snarled. "You're not the only one who's stressed over this, and _you aren't the target of all of this_."

"If you had left your nose where it belonged, you wouldn't be in the mess right now, would you?"

Vincent leapt up onto another fire escape and spun around quickly, sending a kick into the Genesis that had been following him as the clone landed on the platform behind him. The clone fell from the fire escape as Vincent jostled further up the fire escape and onto the roof of another building. Soon he was sprinting from rooftop to rooftop at inhuman speed, arguing with Tseng all the while.

"Look, I didn't question you so don't even bring that up," Tseng's voice was agitated, laced with stress. "How the Hell was I supposed to know that I had found something this big?"

"If Shin-Ra is asking you to do something, common sense should dictate."

"_It did_. And my gut wasn't telling me that this was going to be some giant conspiracy just simmering under the surface."

"If you two ladies are done arguing, we can get moving," a familiar voice declared over Vincent's retort.

Vincent froze mid-sprint on a roof top. "I thought you said this was a _secure_ connection, Tseng."

"I did tell you there were a handful of people that knew the code, Vincent. You're the one that didn't ask me which people."

Vincent let out an exasperated sigh as he started down the side of a building to the street below, much closer to the harbor than he had realized. "Where are you, Sephiroth, that you can hear us?"

"I'm back here in Junon. Your tip-off to the Turks sent some things into motion, and I thought it best to come back…" Sephiroth remarked in such a simple manner that Vincent was almost certain the man was shrugging as he was speaking.

"Tip-off?" Tseng demanded.

"They know about Genesis, which should ease your burden just slightly."

"Great…" Tseng grumbled.

Vincent rounded the corner and nearly ran right into Yazoo, who blinked and took a full step back. "Sorry," Vincent grunted.

Yazoo shrugged indecisively as if he didn't care. "They're this way," He told Vincent in a calm voice. He nodded his head in the direction that he had come from.

Vincent followed the Remnant through the crowded streets back to the harbor. Sephiroth was passively leaning against a wall next to a very agitated looking Tseng. Yazoo took up a spot next to the ex-general and eyed the Turk with open dislike. Apparently concerned with Vincent's well-being, Tseng looked the man up and down but said not a word.

Sephiroth moved from the wall as he straightened up. "Now that we're all here, we'd best be getting out of here…"

"Where are the men you were talking about, Tseng?" Vincent inquired, giving his attention to the ex-director.

Tseng pointed to a group of men near where Vincent's plane bobbed in the water. "They're that group there… They have traces on your plane; you can see two from here."

"Do they know that your things are on there?"

"I doubt it, but I think it's more to track you… They just happened to be guarding a gold mine of their own information…"

"How can you see the trackers in this light?" Yazoo asked as he peered over Tseng's shoulder. "I can't make out anything…"

"That's because you don't know what you're looking for," Tseng snapped. "If you know what you're looking for, you'll see it. There's one against the bend where wing meets the fuselage, and there's another on the pontoons. Hm… And another one on the back of one of the propellers…"

Yazoo craned his neck to see where Tseng was talking about while Sephiroth walked right by the two of them. All three gunmen stared at the swordsman who was walking straight towards the group of Otto's men.

"Sephiroth," Vincent's voice was sharp enough to make the man stop but only long enough to shoot a smirk over his shoulder.

"Oh, Mother, don't worry; I'm behaving… They just need a little encouragement to move." Sephiroth turned back around with that.

"What's he doing?" Vincent demanded to Yazoo.

"I have no idea. I would assume this has something to do with the firecrackers he insisted on buying whenever we first arrived, but I could be completely wrong."

_Great_, Vincent thought as he caught Tseng's eye. "You should wear a dress more often," He told the ex-director.

"Whenever we get to somewhere safe, I'm going to put a bullet in your chest," Tseng told Vincent emotionlessly. "Make another comment about my make-up or dress and I will use materia bullets."

"Materia bullets?" Vincent's eye brow went up.

_CRACK!_

Otto's group dispersed as the sound went off. Another loud sound and all three gunmen were sprinting towards the plane. Vincent reached the door first and unlocked it. They all clamored inside as Sephiroth came back into view. He was shutting the door as Vincent flicked on the engines. They were gone as another group of Otto's men and a Genesis burst into the harbor from one of the side alleys.

"Both of you neglected to tell me that Genesis was here," Sephiroth shot as he entered the cockpit where Vincent was piloting the plane safely from Junon and Tseng sat as copilot.

"It didn't seem pertinent at the time," Tseng admitted. "Granted, you probably should have known, but I don't feel anything good would have come from you interacting with him."

"Oh?" Sephiroth inquired as Yazoo entered and took up a seat behind Vincent.

"I'll explain whenever we get somewhere moderately safe," Tseng assured the man. "It's a lot of information, and I'm not entirely sure that you'll believe me."

All four men visibly relaxed whenever Junon disappeared from view. Vincent eyed Tseng out of his peripherals. The man was busy keeping an eye on the radar and using the navigation computer to find a safe place from them to land and remove the trackers without getting too near anywhere that might potentially be a hiding place. "Tseng, how far did you dig into Smith's files?"

"In the ones I have or otherwise?" The ex-director turned to face Vincent. The latter could clearly see the tiredness edging into the other.

"In the ones you have," Vincent responded, feeling a little sympathetic for the man. "I don't think you've really had time to get ahold of anything new."

"I know about his basic experiments and some of the replications he did of Hojo's, but aside from that, my knowledge is limited," Tseng answered as he turned back to the computer. "Why do you ask?"

"Did it mention anything about cloning?"

The air was instantly tense in the cockpit. Vincent knew Sephiroth was glaring at Tseng, and Tseng was staring at the screen in front of him as if he were transfixed. "What?" Tseng voice asked nearly inaudibly.

"Cloning," Vincent responded. "Was there anything on it?"

Tseng shook his head as he gave Vincent his attention again. "Not that I can remember, and I would remember something significant like that. What brings this on?"

"On my way to the harbor, I ran into Genesis, but there was two of him," Vincent replied. "Only one of them was talking so there wouldn't have been a way for you to know."

"_Two_?" Tseng groaned as he sank into the copilot's seat. "Smith was successful then… Perhaps even more successful than Hojo…"

"I don't know about that," Vincent countered. "I don't think that one of them could speak."

"Wait," Sephiroth interrupted. "What are you two talking about? Who the Hell is this Smith person?"

Tseng looked back at Sephiroth. "He's a scientist, and he had been working under the Emperor in Wutai since the latest emperor came to power. He's similar to the Wutain equivalent of Hojo in a roundabout way."

"He's significant in this how?" Sephiroth demanded.

"That's part of what I'll be explaining to you. For now, just keep in mind that he's been trying to replicate the experiments that Hojo performed on you, but he's using different methods," Tseng paused and let out an exasperated breath and held up a hand. "I know; you've told me before. I'm not justifying either person, but I am in no position to judge. I've done my own handful of grotesque things, and I'm not about to crucify either one of them no matter how repulsive the experiments they've done."

"I doubt you've done something that can top either one of them," Yazoo chimed in sarcastically.

Vincent nearly let out a chuckle at the scowl on Tseng's face, which still held the make-up. Tseng must have sensed Vincent's desire to laugh because there was a venomous glare directed his way less than a second later. "What?" Vincent inquired innocently.

"Oh, go to Hell, Vincent," Tseng retorted nastily. "You know damn well what."

"And you compare me to Reno…"

Tseng threw a punch square into Vincent's shoulder and a crunch told the latter that his right arm had been dislocated. "Do you want us to crash?" He demanded at Tseng indignantly.

Tseng drummed his fingers on the dashboard. "For your information, I am fully capable of flying a plane. We'll only crash if we leave you in the pilot's seat, and I can assure you: that won't be happening if you show incompetence."

Vincent shook his head at Tseng. "You're very vengeful when you want to be. Did Reno ever get the fall out of this?"

"I shot Reno once," Tseng responded coolly. "It was when I had initially joined the Turks, and needless to say, he got the hint then. Perhaps shooting you would work too…"

"Go to Hell."

Tseng let a smirk flitter across his face as he hovered over the navigation screen once more. "There's an alcove we can use to get the devices off the plane. It's to the right two knots," he said slowly after a moment or two.

Vincent landed the plane expertly despite only being capable of using one arm. He popped it back into place as they skirted off onto the pontoons. Tseng had changed back into his suit and pulled his hair up into a pony tail to keep it out of his face whenever they had landed, and he now stood picking meticulously at one of the trackers on the plane. Yazoo was hovering over the Turk watching every move the man was making. Sephiroth and Vincent exchanged apprehensive glances; both of them knew better not to hover over a Turk, but Yazoo didn't seem to until he was almost thrown into the sea.

"I prefer my space contrary to whatever it is you may believe about me," Tseng informed the man levelly.

Yazoo scooted back a little and pulled himself back up onto his feet. "Noted…" He returned coolly.

Tseng turned to the other two men. "Since Yazoo already knows what these trackers look like, this is what we'll be looking for," He held up a small disc the size of a token. "There's no flashing light so you're going to have to rely on your eyes, which should be no problem for either one of you."

"How did you know where they put them then?" Yazoo asked in place of Vincent and Sephiroth.

Sephiroth smirked and Vincent felt the traces of a very faint smile come across his face when Tseng turned back to the Remnant. The look on Tseng's face told the young man that the ex-director that he was a half-wit. "It's not a dumb question so you can stop looking at me like that," Yazoo defended himself nobly. "I don't know you like these two." He gestured towards Vincent and Sephiroth.

"Of the two, Sephiroth knows me a little better; however, I was a _Turk_, which is the basis for Vincent's knowledge of me. As I was a Turk, I know what I'm looking for whenever I need to find trackers. These things have a different shade of paint than what Highwind used on Vincent's plane. It's all a matter of finding a discoloration and exploiting it."

"In what way is that common sense?"

"It's not; it's _Turk_-sense, so to speak," Vincent interjected in place of Tseng. "Now isn't the time to bicker or question things. We need to get these off the plane so they don't catch up with us."

Yazoo let out a huff but said nothing more on the matter. Tseng looked smug as he climbed up onto the wing to pick at another he had pointed out earlier. Vincent and Sephiroth also set to work. Yazoo glared at Tseng one final time before he too started to work.

The four men had the plane clear of trackers in under a half hour and returned once more to the cockpit. "Where are we headed?" Tseng asked Vincent and Sephiroth.

"Where do you think would be best, Valentine?" Sephiroth inquired as he crossed his legs and relaxed in the seat behind Tseng. "I don't think the City of the Ancients is a good place to go. I'm sure that Genesis will likely check there for some sign of us."

"Actually, he's looking for me," Vincent explained. "He thinks he can find Tseng more easily that way, but he's obviously never tried to track a Turk before… We can disappear whenever we want to; albeit, it is going to be a little bit harder for me to disguise my presence, but even if he does manage to find me, he won't find Tseng as easily."

"It's because he's a human," Yazoo said stiffly.

"Oh, will you shut up?" Tseng shot at the man. "You have little reason to be resenting me; it's supposed to be the other way around, but unlike you, I could care less about you and your opinion. And being _human_ has its advantages. Thank you."

"If you say so…" Yazoo busied himself with straightening out his hair.

"I foresee this ending poorly," Sephiroth muttered, and Vincent nodded his head in agreement. "All the same, where would be the last place that you would go, Vincent?"

"Costa del Sol," Tseng answered from him.

Vincent stared at Tseng. "How did you know that?"

"There's sun."

That earned a laugh from Sephiroth and an incredulous look sent at Tseng, who was grinning. "Ha ha, very funny…" Vincent mumbled. "But no, that's not the last place I would go even though it's pretty high on that end of the list." He thought for a moment. "Honestly, the last place I would go is Nebelheim…"

"We can't go there," Sephiroth objected. "I'm not setting foot in that place again unless it's the only way my life would depend on it, and I doubt that it ever will."

Tseng let out a breath. "Go to Wutai." He ordered with a wave of his hand.

"Won't Genesis check there for you?" Yazoo inquired doubtfully.

"No, Genesis will be checking the main land for me," Tseng sighed. "As unfortunate as it is, I don't think he realizes that I was actually born in Wutai and not in Kalm as everyone originally bought into courtesy of Reno."

"Reno started that rumor?" Sephiroth's eye brow arched. "Why did I think it was Veld?"

"Veld _mentioned_ it; Reno spread it," Tseng shrugged. "It wouldn't shock me if Genesis started his search for me there."

"Doesn't this mean that Rufus will know you're alive?" Vincent quipped.

"Hm… No, I don't think it will," Tseng returned thoughtfully. "He'll probably think that there's just another person off their rocker looking to deface whatever grave I might have had."

"To Wutai it is," Vincent decided as he started up the engines.

The rest of the trip was uneventful, and the four men spent most of the journey in silence. Vincent docked the plane in a small cropping of rocks where it would be undisturbed until they were able to return to it. As soon as they found a secure location to set up a base camp, they would return for Tseng's things. In the meantime, the ex-director had set up multiple cameras and linked an alarm system to his phone. Most of them were heat-activated, which would let them know if a human or anything human-like were to approach the plane. Once Tseng was satisfied with his work, he rejoined the other three men on land.

"Don't you think someone here will recognize you?" Yazoo hummed.

"Those that need to recognize me will, and those that think I'm dead will think that they're cursed," Tseng said simply as he shrugged. "I have friends here, but I doubt that they will expose themselves to us while I'm with you three. It's better off that way anyway. I don't want them caught in the crossfire."

"Oh, and Vincent isn't already caught in the crossfire," Yazoo instigated.

"Whether Vincent likes it or not," Tseng began, "he would inevitably been caught in the crossfire the moment he set foot here to see what was in my grave. Certainly, I spend up the entire situation; but ultimately, it wouldn't have mattered if I had waited to expose myself or not… If I had waited…" His voice trailed off as if he didn't want to think about what he was saying. He just shook his head and turned his gaze to the hills rolling out before them.

"We won't run into that obnoxious ninja woman you traveled with, will we, Vincent?" Sephiroth grumbled.

Vincent was silent for a moment. "I'm not going to promise you anything since I don't even know where she would even be this time of year. Keep your fingers crossed and hope for the best; that's all the more I can tell you."

Tseng led the way when they started on the trek from the plane. The ex-director still had a considerable amount of energy and was completely capable of keeping up with the enhanced beings with him, which startled both Yazoo and Vincent, albeit, the latter was considerably less shocked than the former. Sephiroth didn't seem to notice that the ex-director was keeping pace with him and was staring off into the distance as if he were lost in thought.

They encountered a handful of monsters on their way to a location that Tseng seemed to know by heart. In no time, they approached a small village. At first, Sephiroth objected to the idea of staying in a village, but as they neared, his objections fell silent. Tseng had led them to a ghost town, but judging from the look on his face, the place originally hadn't been a ghost town.

"This isn't good," Tseng vocalized as the set foot onto the main street. He was looking around. "There were people here a few months ago."

"Things change," Yazoo muttered as he eyed his surroundings.

"Death permeates here," Vincent offered in support of Tseng. "I wonder what happened."

"I think I know," Sephiroth pointed down to the end of the street where there was a bulletin board was posted.

The bulletin board was posted in what used to be the town's square. A graffiti memo was posted on the board in black spray paint. Tseng frowned as he read it. "Wonderful," He mumbled as he ran his hand through his hair. "It seemed we fell right into the Zolom's marsh…"

"What does it say?" Yazoo demanded.

Tseng let out another breath. "It says that the two was evacuated due to radio-active material found in the soil. That means only one thing…"

"Smith's laboratory is around here," Vincent finished. "Well, I suppose that saves us the trouble of hacking into his system now."


	12. Chapter 12

A/N:  
>I am so sorry about this chapter! Oh my gosh... This is not one of my better written ones at all, but I needed it to move quickly because I want this fanfic to end. So it's choppy... If I messed up on anything PLEASE TELL ME. But anyway, I hate the end of it. It's ick! But yeah, anyway... Besides the point. And the end is TOTALLY NON-CANON and ENTIRELY made up by me. It made sense in my head, but now that I wrote it down, I don't agree with it... MEH. Alright. endrant It's really long too, by the way. xD  
>kero123, I'm feeling much better! Thank you for asking.<p>

* * *

><p>"Before we get too far into this, you both owe me an explanation," Sephiroth snapped agitatedly. "If there's one thing that I cannot stand, this is it."<p>

"Please," Tseng rolled his eyes as he spoke, "you should be used to being left out of information. How much was left out whenever you worked for Shin-Ra?"

"This is different," Sephiroth countered. "We're dealing with a scientist… And after what I went through, I want to know what the Hell I'll be getting into."

"He has a point," Vincent interjected before Tseng could defend his position. "Scientists need to be explained otherwise we might as well be walking into some elaborately placed trap."

"We probably are, and the dear _director_ doesn't even know," Yazoo sneered as he brushed his hair from his shoulder. "The scientist probably already knows we're in the area."

"If that were the case, _Remnant_, I'm fairly certain that there would be a group of people waiting here with open arms for us," Tseng growled. "I'm not about to go rounds with you over this. In my opinion, we need to get out of the open because then he really _will_ find us."

Sephiroth sent one silencing look at Yazoo, who acted as if he hadn't seen it. The ex-general nodded to a nearby house, and the four men went inside. Tseng let them into the inner sanctum of the house, explaining that meals were often eating in this room since no outsiders could look in.

"Why is that important?" Yazoo demanded as the men seated themselves around a table.

"Poverty was a serious thing here in Wutai," Tseng explained in a mechanical voice, which Vincent knew the man only used whenever he was well beyond the point of agitation. "Many murders were committed because of food since it was a rather rare commodity… It's since subsided, but many of the older houses still have these rooms in them."

"Drop it, Yazoo," Sephiroth ordered when the man opened his mouth to make another snide comment. "You need to let go of the hatred towards the Turk. It's not going to get you anywhere; we're on the same side with him now whether you like it or not." He eyed the younger man's face with slight distaste. "Now, Tseng, please tell me how Genesis and this scientist all tie together."

"It's a type of business relationship, really," Tseng continued to use his robotic voice as he turned his attention to Sephiroth. "I think there's some kind of deal between Genesis and Smith, who is the scientist's whose lab we may have just found. Smith must know something about Genesis's need for mako injections to keep him 'stable,' and has based a deal around that. From what Vincent told me in the cockpit, I can assume that Genesis has been helping Smith create clones…  
>"If that's the case, then we are indeed walking into an elaborate trap, but I'm not sure how intelligent the clones are or if they have any intelligence to speak of. I digress; Genesis and Smith also have another business partner: Otto Corneo."<p>

"Corneo?" Sephiroth repeated thoughtfully. "I'm assuming a relation of the Don's… Is this the one that was caught with that arms deal with the Emperor back during the war?"

"One the same," Tseng confirmed. "Evidently, he and Smith have an arrangement as well. Genesis seems to be the enforcer for Smith. Also, keep in mind that Otto has stolen Cetra artifacts from various locations the world over. This includes tablets and weapons… The weapons aren't as old as the tablets, but they do seem to be pretty significant all the same." He pulled a small notepad out from one of his jacket's inner pockets and flipped through it quickly. "I think that Otto has been looking for something the Cetra found, and I have a feeling it has something to do with the experiments that Smith has been doing recently. As I mentioned, he was mimicking Hojo's experiments… And I'm sure you know what that means."

Sephiroth vocally groaned at this and cupped his face in his hands. "Wonderful…" He grumped sarcastically. "What's he attempting to do by doing that?"

Tseng was too busy looking over his notes, and Vincent decided that it was best that he answer in his stead. After all, he light bulb had just gone off in his head. "I don't think Tseng has a theory on that, but I'm willing to bet that this has something to do with a power trip… With Shin-Ra in a weakened state, it would be very easy to land a killing blow and set Wutai up as a majour power that was akin to what Shin-Ra was. Think about it," Vincent offered up. "With Genesis there, whatever would be set up in place of Shin-Ra would avoid the same mistakes that Shin-Ra made; thereby causing this new ground to be an even greater threat than anything Shin-Ra could hope to be now."

"What of this WRO that Reeve has set up?" Sephiroth inquired as he pulled his head from his hands and leaned back a little bit. "Has he not been tipped off or am I missing another piece?"

"I was asked not to say anything to Reeve," Vincent replied with a sideways glance at Tseng, who was studiously ignoring the other two men talking as he was reading over his notes. "I think that Reeve would have been able to piece it together that Tseng had somehow given me all that information."

"That makes sense," Sephiroth said slowly. "But something isn't adding up here…"

"From what Tseng told me," Vincent sighed, "he's missing a piece: the one that connects Smith and Otto without Genesis."

"Their agenda then," Sephiroth surmised. "But what happens if this is just a job for hire?"

"It isn't," Tseng quipped as he handed Sephiroth his notebook. "While Vincent's theory is a sound one, I think it's an entirely different one entirely… Genesis plays too big a role in this. I hate to say this, but this flips back to his jealousy…"

Sephiroth's eyes snapped to Tseng, and they narrowed as he considered what the man had to say. "Elaborate, now."

Tseng gestured to Yazoo. "In theory, you have three clones. This one and the other two that tortured Elena and me… Whether they were created by Hojo or were simply different manifestations is an entirely different matter. Genesis likely thinks that this is just another attempt for you to prove that you are still leagues ahead of him regardless of how you view yourself.  
>"Smith and Otto probably fit the bill with what Vincent had to offer, but I don't think Genesis will be satisfied with just having a strangle hold on the people. I think he wants to be viewed in the same light that you were whenever Shin-Ra was considered an almighty power and propaganda ran rampant. I think that those tablets have some sort of power that has yet to be tapped into by anyone but the Cetra."<p>

"Have you seen the tablets or the weapons that you mentioned earlier?"

"I haven't seen the tablets, but I was able to locate some of the weapons and convince their owners to let me look at them. I copied down some of the inscriptions and translated them as best as I could, but those notes are back in Vincent's plane…"

"Were the tablets in different collectors as well?"

"Yes, they were. I would have usually insisted using my position within Shin-Ra as leverage to gain access to that sort of information, but since I'm 'dead,' that doesn't really work all that well."

"What if the weapons were an illusion to the Weapons that were summoned along with Meteor?" Sephiroth proposed. "That would mean that the tablets are likely an illusion to something else as well… Perhaps something even worse than what I was planning on doing back then."

"That's a possibility," Tseng admitted. "I have no way of really knowing without finding some additional material on the weapons or the tablets. I have literally exhausted every source and library that I could find with even so much as a reference to either of them."

"Hm…" Sephiroth mumbled as he looked over Tseng's rough notes. "What if Vincent got in touch with the collectors?"

"I don't see that ending well," Yazoo chimed in. "He was the one that Genesis is looking for as he mentioned. It would probably just send red flags off all over the place; not saying that our prior actions haven't encouraged some, but I think that it would put the nail in the coffin. We'd be in more peril than necessary."

"For once, Yazoo and I agree on something," Tseng admitted. "It's a long shot at best anyway…"

"Well, nothing ventured; nothing gained," Sephiroth smirked lightly at the cliché. "Anyway, why don't we try to find that laboratory? That might have more answers."

"It'll raise more questions," Vincent frowned.

"Of course it will," Genesis's voice chirped from the door way. "But there's a more pressing one to be contended with. How on the Planet did you manage to get all the way into the mainland without tripping so much as one sensor?"

Tseng looked bored as he directed his attention to Genesis. Sephiroth's frown reappeared on his face as he regarded his old friend with clear distaste. Yazoo and Vincent caught each other's gaze before turning to the ex-first class as well.

"Oh, my, my," Genesis tutted. "It appears that you knew that I was here this entire time, and didn't even care that you just told me all that you know."

"It doesn't matter," Yazoo informed him maliciously. "It's not as if you're the real one anyway!" Velvet Nightmare was raised and fired with such speed that Vincent had barely noted the young remnant's movements.

Genesis hit the ground with loud thud. Tseng sent the smallest of smiles at Yazoo as if he approved of the young man's outburst. Sephiroth stood and went over to the man and gazed down into the bullet hole. "Black blood," he told Tseng. "What does that mean?"

"It means that Yazoo didn't shoot the actual Genesis," Tseng assured the man. "No matter, let's see if he was marked to keep tabs on the number of clones created."

Tseng and Vincent rose; this was Turk work after all. Sephiroth moved aside to allow the two men clearance. Yazoo replaced the bullet in Velvet Nightmare as the two ex-Turks worked. "Pay dirt," Tseng mumbled as he pointed to the man's ankle.

The other three men looked to where the man was pointing. A black five stood off against the pale skin. Tseng leaned back on his haunches. "So there's at least five…"

"There's probably more…" Vincent muttered as he too leaned back.

"I vote that we get into that laboratory as soon as we can," Yazoo offered up. "We might be able to learn how many there are and perhaps what they're up to."

"Agreed… Let's get started," Tseng nodded as he stood up.

The four men left the room without a glance back at the body. Tseng led them back to the main square for another glance at the sign. While whatever he was looking for was lost on the other three, he had found what he was looking for and led them in a northward direction from their current location.

"The sign said not to go north since there was _suddenly_ an uprising in monsters, and typically that only means on thing in Wutai," he told the other men as they crossed the northern border of the village and hit dirt path once more. "Their usual lands are disturbed, which more often than not means military testing or encampments."

"This is something similar then?" Sephiroth inquired.

"Well, supposing what Vincent said is true," Tseng suggested, "they'll need space, and they'll need an army. Shin-Ra might not be an issue right now, but the WRO has the resources that Shin-Ra had in regards to man power. They would have to train."

"What you're proposing is that there might be a small army of clones waiting for us somewhere along this road?" Yazoo sounded appalled.

"This has already happened once," Sephiroth told the Remnant. "That was back during the war between Shin-Ra and Wutai…"

"Yes, but where Hollander drew the line, I don't think that Smith will… Hollander lost interest in what Genesis was suggesting; Smith doesn't have that sort of capacity. He's like Hojo in that sense. When he sets his mind on a goal, he will do whatever he can to see it come to fruition," Tseng informed them glumly.

"Great," Sephiroth mumbled. "Another insane scientist and two almost equally insane accomplices… Why are our lives never simple?"

Tseng snorted a laugh while Vincent just shook his head with a small smile flitting over his lips. Yazoo just looked at the three of them with guarded curiosity.

The small group of men walked on in silence until the sun had gone down. They stopped at the crest of a hill where Tseng took out a pair of binoculars with night vision and scanned the up-coming road and hills beyond it. He frowned considerably whenever he landed on the crest of one particular hill.

"The good news is the road is relatively clear of any 'human' threats, but it seems the local populace of creatures dominates this part of the highway…" Tseng told them as he lowered the binoculars.

"What sort of creatures are we looking at?" Sephiroth inquired gently.

"I noted a zu*, but aside from that, the others blended in together…"

"Is there something going on up there then?" Vincent offered as he held his hands out for the binoculars, which were soon places there. He raised them to his face.

Vincent could see the zu clearly as it was the only bird flying around. There were other incoherent shapes of animals, which he didn't think was a good thing at all. He shifted his gaze to the other half of the hill and noted three very human shapes watching the ruckus the creatures were causing.

"We need to get off of open ground," Vincent ordered. "And we need to do it now before the three on that hill notice our presence."

Yazoo was off the path and up a tree like a lightning bolt. The other three followed suit and found the man at nearly the top of the tree. "Here, give me the binoculars. I have a pretty clear view of that hill."

Vincent passed them up as he settled into a fork in the tree. Tseng was on the longest rung of them all, and Sephiroth was just a branch or two below Vincent. They waited in silence for Yazoo's report.

"It seems like they're the cause of all the pandemonium," Yazoo quipped in a slightly annoyed tone. "The zu looks like it's being the most reasonable out of all the creatures, but it has to be controlled… I've never heard of a zu acting as contained as this one is."

"Sephiroth, what sort of form did Angeal take after the war?" Tseng glanced up at the man.

Vincent noticed the man was once again frowning when he gazed down at him. "It was a bird-like form, yes," Sephiroth muttered in a moderately annoyed tone. "However, it wasn't as nearly as big as a zu… What are you doing, Tseng?"

Vincent now turned his attention to the ex-director who was fitting a silencer onto the end of one of his pistols. "Yes, what are you doing, little Turk?" Yazoo chirped in.

"Be quiet," Tseng told them all sharply. "There's someone coming, and I doubt that they're friendly."

That oppressive presence that had been smothering Vincent in Junon had returned. He reflexively covered his eyes with his human hand, and as he did so, he felt another presence next to him in tree. He lifted his head to see Sephiroth regarding him quizzically. Vincent pursed his lips and shook his head at the man. He watched Yazoo climb down past Sephiroth to the branch Tseng sat on. He leaned in and muttered something to the man.

"What is it, Vincent?" Sephiroth mumbled in a voice that he knew only Vincent would hear without attracting Yazoo's and Tseng's attentions.

"That presence again…" Vincent returned in the voice Sephiroth had used.

A gloved hand touched his cheek lightly, and Vincent did his best not to leap sky high. He hadn't expected the ex-general to touch when he was in such a concentrated state. Yazoo and Tseng climbed up past the two in a sort of silent rush. "What are you doing?" Vincent shot at Tseng quietly.

"Ambush," Tseng motioned for the two of them to climb up higher. "There's a truck coming. Yazoo noticed it with the binoculars. Yazoo and I are going to take out the tires, and then we're going to slip on board."

Sephiroth and Vincent followed the two higher up into the tree until they were nearly to the top. They waited in silence, and sure enough, lights came over the hill and were closely followed by the roar of an engine. Two silenced bullets flew from two pistols once the truck was almost past the tree. The truck screeched to a stop as Vincent and Sephiroth climbed down from the tree.

The driver and passenger both got out of the truck in unison. They weren't clones of Genesis, which was a relief to all four men. The nagging presence pushing down on Vincent didn't subside however, and it seemed to be getting worse the closer that he and Sephiroth moved to the truck.

"Can you believe our luck?" One man was saying to the other as he flipped on a flashlight. "Who would have thought that we'd almost be home free only to get stuck with two flats now?"

"I told you take it easy along here," The other man returned with a small chortle. "But you didn't want to listen. It's not like we have a deadline… But we don't have two tires to fix both of them. I guess we'll put it on the front."

"But it's a rear wheel drive vehicle," The first objected. "Granted, it will be harder to steer, but we won't have the power we need to get up the next hill without it."

"You aren't the one driving," The second snapped irritably. "We'll get up the damn hill just fine."

The first shook his head dismally but helped the other man get out their spare tire and jack. Sephiroth stuck the second man while Vincent took the first. Both went down silently, and without so much as a struggle. Yazoo was down the tree with Tseng in tow the next second.

"This is _too_ suspicious," Yazoo remarked.

"Obviously," Tseng rolled his eyes. He motioned for the men to pick a side of the door.

Death Penalty was in Vincent's hand, Masamune in Sephiroth's, and Velvet Nightmare in Yazoo's. Tseng held up three fingers and slowly ticked them off. As Tseng lowered his third finger, he and Vincent grabbed the two handles on the back of the truck and flung the doors open wide. Vincent heard Yazoo sharply inhale, and he had to agree with the man's surprise.

Suspended in a tank filled with mako was Genesis Rhapsodos. There were no marks on him to be seen, and only a mask suspended in the tank with him provided him any air. Tseng was the first into the back of the truck, and he motioned for the other three to stay out of the tank.

"If you know it's a trap, why would you do that?" Yazoo demanded.

"Because… This isn't the trap," Tseng replied slowly. "Rather, it wasn't the trap _yet._ I think they were banking on us using a different strand of actions…"

"There is that presence that needs to be dealt with," Vincent informed Tseng. "I don't think it would be a good idea to release Genesis from his suspension."

"I wasn't planning on it," Tseng smiled at Vincent. "Don't worry; I was getting some of these files…" He scooted a box across the floor and then another. "We definitely need to have a look at these."

Vincent grabbed the first box, and Yazoo took the second. Tseng jumped out of the truck with another box. Sephiroth closed the doors behind him. The ex-general grabbed a flare gun from the back belt of one of the fallen men and sent the flare spiraling skyward before he joined the other three men in the forest.

Tseng led them deeper into the woods as the sound of shouts carried from the distance of the hill. They eventually stopped when the sounds grew distant. Yazoo set his box and then sat on it. "What do we suppose are in these?"

"We'll find out shortly," Tseng told him. A flashlight had materialized in his hand as Vincent placed his box next to Tseng's.

"They were suspending him as Hollander and Hojo used to do so frequently to all three of us," Sephiroth mumbled. "I don't see the point in it… Mako… It's a terrible thing to be surrounded by."

Vincent could have sworn that he saw Tseng's gaze go sympathetic for a split second before he returned to his task of opening on of the boxes. "Science, in a general sense, is a terrible thing to be surrounded by," Tseng countered. "It's amazing what all it can destroy."

Sephiroth grunted in reply as Tseng finally freed the lid off one of the boxes. The ex-director pulled the file off the top. "Well, this isn't good," the man declared.

Vincent hovered over his shoulder. "Aren't those supposed to be in my home?"

"Aren't what?" Sephiroth asked as he came over. He paled. "Yes, I'm fairly certain those are supposed to be in your home."

Vincent took the file from Tseng and opened it. It was indeed one of the files he had taken from Nibelheim to avoid a repeat of the Meteor incident. "This isn't good," he felt his stomach plummet for the second time in two days. "This isn't good at all… It's a good thing we managed to get these before they arrived at the lab."

"We should destroy those," Sephiroth suggested automatically. "I don't fancy what's in those reports, and I definitely don't think that another scientist should have those reports. I might as well be dead now to save them the trouble of twisting my life into something I would rather it not be again."

"This box, we destroy," Tseng agreed. "That's all these files are… And I don't think anyone needs to see them either. One incident and one Hojo is enough for me."

Yazoo opened the box he sat on for Tseng and pushed it over to the man. "I'm not sure what's in there, but I'm sure you'll have a better idea than I ever will," The remnant admitted dismally.

"Hm…" Tseng hummed thoughtfully. "This looks more promising. These are files on the tablets I was talking about earlier. We'll need to look into these more thoroughly whenever it's lighter out." He moved that box aside and slid the other towards him.

The second box was much easier for Tseng to open than the first. "Pay dirt," he declared as he lifted off the first file. "These are Smith's reports."

"Two birds with one stone," Sephiroth let a false smile creep onto his features. "We'll need to go through those with a fine tooth comb as well."

"I have a feeling that these will raise more questions than they will have answers as Yazoo suggested earlier," Tseng told the man. "I don't see this ending well anyway."

"There's someone coming," Vincent said suddenly.

Tseng's flashlight flicked off, and Vincent turned towards the sound. He felt his eyes change in the sudden lack of light, and Chaos's eyes soon became visible in the darkness. He saw Sephiroth take a good full step back away from him as if he weren't sure what to expect from the man. Soon, Vincent knew exactly what he was looking for. There he was, cold and dripping wet with mako: Genesis Rhapsodos. He looked considerably weaker than the tank had made him appear.

"I know you see me," Genesis's weak voice filtered out. "And I need your help…"

"Everyone seems to need my help…" Vincent grumbled in a dark voice that almost wasn't his own. "I'm tired of being asked for help… Two is enough to help right now."

"No, you misunderstand," Genesis shook his head as he finally came into the view for the other three to see him. "This isn't what you think." He collapsed to his knees and looked up at the man with glowing eyes. "I'm not the presence you're feeling…" His eyes widened as they landed on Sephiroth. "Seph, please, listen!"

Vincent turned his head to the ex-general. Fury was plain in Sephiroth's eyes, but Vincent wasn't sure who that fury was directed. Genesis seemed to think it was him. Vincent gave his attention back to Genesis. "You're dealing with me, not Sephiroth. You'll answer my questions first before you go pleading to him _or_ Tseng." He stepped in to dominate Genesis's field of view. "First, why are you with Smith and Corneo?"

"Oh? Is that their names?" Genesis mumbled. "They found me in my own form of suspension where I was waiting for my death… After all, why would someone who lost their only two friends want to spend all of eternity alone?"

"You agreed to help them?"

"Not so," Genesis shook his head as he spoke, mako sprinkling away from him as he did so. "It was forced, more or less. I wasn't a willing participant this time… I was just conveniently placed. They were looking for you."

Vincent's eyes narrowed. "That's a new twist… No matter… Do you know what they've been doing?"

"Bits and pieces, things here and there," Genesis mumbled. "Nothing that really makes any kind of sense to me… I wake up and black out again in a matter of minutes, and it's always in a laboratory. I can't seem to stay out of the places." He chuckled weakly, and Vincent heard Tseng scoff at the man.

"Tell me what you do know."

"Well, there's always the usual mako injection, but then there's another IV that I don't recognize connected to my other arm. It's a reddish substance, and I'm still not sure what it did to me…"

"It wasn't doing anything to you," Tseng told the man with the chilliness only the director of the Turks could pull off. "That was your blood; they were extracting it from you."

That news startled Genesis considerably, and it let all four of the other men know that he had been telling the truth since it was somewhat hard to tell with Genesis sometimes. "They were taking my blood?" His voice was perturbed. "Why would they take my blood?"

"You're not asking questions," Vincent told him sharply. "Did the scenery ever change in the back drop of the lab or were you—''

"And he leads us right to…" A laugh broke out followed by a gunshot. "Silly little boy… What did he think was going to happen?"

Genesis was on the ground writhing in pain. "Rufus," Tseng's voice cut through the darkness.

"Hm…? Oh, you're alive too, Tseng?" Rufus laughed as he came into view. Reno and Rude flanked him.

A man in a lab coat, who Vincent assumed to be Smith, and another lankier man stood behind the two Turks with Elena. She seemed to have them both chained together with a machine gun carefully held between her hands as she stood behind them.

Tseng didn't step out from behind Vincent, and Sephiroth didn't even move to assist his fallen friend. Yazoo was the only one that moved, and that was only to dust his shoulder free of hair.

"This is a rather unexpected turn of events," Rufus admitted as he picked his way over to where Genesis had fallen. He lifted his shotgun to Genesis's face level and smiled in the most unnervingly pleasant manner at Vincent. "I will admit; I was shocked to hear Reno tell me that Genesis was 'back.' I had made a bit of a deal with these two, and they were foolish enough to deal with me… I suppose I owe you all an explanation before you die as well."

"I wouldn't shoot him if I were you," Tseng told his former superior.

"I am not fazed in the least by Sephiroth or Vincent… You and the Remnant are a bit of a complication, however. I wasn't expecting either one of you to join in the escapade, albeit, I didn't think either of you were alive," Rufus smoothed his bang from out of his face. "You see, while the two of them thought that they were building an army for themselves, they handed me a weapon that could destroy both Vincent and Sephiroth. Isn't that delightful, Tseng? People will finally fear Shin-Ra once more."

Tseng fell oddly silent as if he were unnerved. "You're insane…" He muttered. "This entire time I thought that Sephiroth was the one that was completely off the deep end, and here you are defying everything that I had thought up to this point about you… Let me ask you then, Rufus. Was it the tablets, the weapons, or the cloning that gave you the weapon that you claim can destroy Sephiroth and Vincent?"

"It seems you've done your homework, Director," Rufus complimented with the smallest of laughs. "Which do you think it is?"

"The cloning gave you an army, which both of us would be able to defeat… The weapons were the Weapons summoned during the Meteor… That would leave the tablets," Sephiroth answered for Tseng.

"Ah, General, you're hardly lacking in intelligence either. I overheard you saying that same exact thing earlier… Alas, it's fascinating really. Would you like to see the thing I created to destroy you?" Rufus put a cold boot on Genesis's chest and forced the struggling man back down.

"I would prefer to know my death, yes," Sephiroth replied slowly.

Tseng and Yazoo came up to stand on either side of Vincent respectively while Sephiroth took up a place beside Tseng. Rufus motioned to Reno and Rude to bring forward whatever this weapon was. Reno held it out to his boss, who took it and held it up for the four men to see.

"Do you know what this is?" Rufus tried. "No? Ah, well, this is a summon materia. What summon you ask? Neo Bahamut… But that's not all. There are two other forms of Bahamut as well, and both of them combined with the Neo form will bring you both to ruin and wipe out whatever else may stand in my way. Unfortunately for Genesis, one of the other Bahamut summons is more or less rather fond of him. In order for that to be nullified for it to throw its full potential into a battle, Genesis must die."

Weapons were drawn in silence, which didn't seem to surprise or faze Rufus. Tseng shooting him in the gun-arm seemed to do the trick however. Reno was on his old superior faster than Vincent had ever seen the man move before in his life. The scientist and the smuggler were crouching on the ground in a huddle lump while Elena opened fire.

Vincent and Sephiroth jumped in unison while Yazoo rolled behind a tree. Tseng had been tackled to the ground and had no issue dodging the bullets. Vincent landed in the tree above Rude while Sephiroth had landed above Rufus. The ex-general kicked the materia from Rufus's grasp, and Vincent flipped down and landed a blow into Rude's face as he dashed to help Reno with Tseng.

Yazoo had Elena busy to keep fire from straying too far to where his fellows were working. An alarm had sounded somewhere off in the distance, and marching feet started to head their way. Vincent engaged Rude in a little hand-to-hand combat before switching to Death Penalty. Turks never played fair, and it didn't matter if it was against each other. Tseng had mimicked the principle and was practically dancing in circles around Reno, who was barely able to keep up with the man.

A yelp from Elena told Vincent that Yazoo had scored a hit while a discharge of a shotgun told him that Sephiroth was started to frustrate the President. A quick back hand with his gauntlet sent Rude flying back a few feet. The man was unconscious by the time a hailstorm of bullets ripped through the trees.

Vincent barely ducked in time. Sephiroth leapt into the trees, and Yazoo was practically plastered to the ground. Tseng wasn't so lucky. A bullet ripped through his shoulder and thigh, but he got off far easier than Reno. The red-head was a few paces away from Tseng clutching his bleeding stomach.

If this were a normal day, Vincent would have felt a little twang of sympathy for Reno, but today wasn't a normal day. Yazoo was on his way to Tseng as soon as Vincent was. Both men seemed to streamline their way through the bullets while Sephiroth found his way to Genesis, who was barely conscious. Tseng was up over Vincent's shoulder and Genesis over Sephiroth's before they ran faster than they could have ever remembered doing so in their life.

* * *

><p>* - I'm not sure of the correct spelling... I think it's zuu, but it could be zhu, or something like that. So I compromised. ^^:::<br>Another A/N:  
>I need ideas for another story. I want to write a one shot, but I'm clueless. Anybody wanna send this chick a prompt? lol ((And for the record, keep it FF7 universe... I won't write anything outside that. And stay away from anything that so much as hints at Cloud or AerisAerith...))


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